How We Met Your Mother
by DeliriumDescending
Summary: Skull had always done his best to keep his mafia life away from his mother, not because she couldn't handle it but because he wasn't sure the mafia could handle her. (All the different ways the Arcobaleno could meet Skull's mother.) [Fem!Harry ; Teddy-is-Skull]
1. Becoming Skull

**How We Met Your Mother**

 **Disclaimer** : I do not own Harry Potter or Katekyo Hitman Reborn.

 **General** **Warnings** : AU in both HP-verse and KHR-verse, sometimes including the Arcobaleno either not yet being cursed, or the Curse not happening at all. In fact, it's safe to assume that I've completely tossed canon timelines out the window; Fem!Harry; MoD!Harry; Teddy-is-Skull;

 **Summary** : There is one secret above all others that Skull had kept from the other Arcobaleno: his mother, Holly Potter. He could only stare in horror as the two worlds collided.

 **Author's** **Notes** : I've read and really enjoyed several stories where Harry-is-Skull, and that enjoyment led to a series of possible ideas for HP x KHR crossovers. This is the first one I started writing and the two sentences in a later chapter where Viper/Mammon realizes just who Skull's mother is ("The Woman-Who-Conquered was Skull's mother. _They were so screwed._ ") ended up spawning a dozen more ideas.

This is going to be a series of unrelated shorts, unless otherwise specified at the beginning of a chapter. This first chapter is just a history for Skull, giving you an idea of how Teddy Lupin became Skull de Mort; each chapter after this one – and I have no idea how many there will be, or how long each one will be – will be a new way that the Arcobaleno could have met Skull's mother. There is always a possibility of a chapter someday being expanded on into its own story/little universe, but I make no guarantees simply because I don't want to get anyone's hopes up and then it not happen.

* * *

[~][~][~]

Boring.

Being around the Arcobaleno had become boring. Dull. Routine. It was so easy to fool them now; there was no challenge to be had in finding just the right balance of fear and bravado that would trick them into believing that he was nothing more than what they thought he was.

Idiot. Weakling. Coward.

He had his moments of stupidity, sure, who didn't? His were just better known because he didn't bother hiding them like the others did. Weakling? What did you expect when you took a civilian with no previous experience with either the Mafia or the Flames they wielded and threw them in with a group of the _Strongest Flame Users in the Mafia_? Of course he was going to look weak and stupid.

Coward. Well. He wasn't going to argue against that.

He was a coward because he valued his life; he was a coward because being brave so often meant giving up one's life. And he wasn't willing to do that, not by any means. (Not when his life was so valuable, was one of the few things holding his most precious person to the world.)

But he was neither stupid nor weak. If he were either, he never would've been able to pull the wool over the eyes of the collective Arcobaleno for so long, never would have had them convinced that they knew everything about him, knew all his secrets, all his motivations, when in reality their knowledge barely skimmed the surface of who he was.

They didn't know what he really looked like.

They didn't know his real name.

And they definitely didn't know that there was one thing he valued more than his life, one secret he protected above all others.

His mother, Holly Potter.

.

When all was said and done, the fight against Voldemort became known as The Blood War and was divided into sections for ease of study by historians.

But for those who lived it, it felt like a nightmare they couldn't quite wake up from.

Voldemort's First Rise to Power had largely been a shadow game, with twice as many battles fought in the Wizengamot and behind closed doors than actually in the field. There were skirmishes, quick and dirty, between Death Eaters and Aurors, but for those of the Light, it felt like they were always one step behind the enemy, always scrambling to play catch up.

While some Aurors - James Potter and Sirius Black, Frank Longbottom and Amelia Bones, the Prewett Brothers - became well-known for their battle prowess and ability to not only survive but _win_ the confrontations, it was still obvious to many that the Light was being beat back, slowly and methodically losing its every foothold.

They were winning the battles, but losing the war.

Then, a miracle.

Voldemort, defeated at the hands of a babe, but at the cost of Lily and James Potter's lives.

And for thirteen years, there was peace, the majority of the Magical population happy to believe the Dark Lord was defeated for good, that the dark times were behind them, that they no longer had anything to fear.

But a select few knew better, knew that something had happened that night in Godric's Hollow, something they could not explain. And with the knowledge that not all was as it seemed, they hedged their bets and placed their faith in the one year old pulled from the wreckage of her nursery, alive and unharmed but for the lightning bolt scar on her forehead.

Years later, with the threat of war looming over them and the very real possibility of it being bloodier and more violent than Voldemort's First Rise, it came as no surprise that many witches and wizards began to pair off. It was obvious even in the halls of Hogwarts, where those in the same year as the Girl-Who-Lived began to cling to each other with a new kind of desperation, friendships and relationships alike springing up where none had seemed likely before.

Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks were one such pairing.

It was a combination of grief over the death of Sirius Black and the fear of the oncoming war that drove them into each other's arms. But once there, Tonks had refused to let Remus go, had held onto him in spite of all the reasons he would give as to why they were bad for each other.

A little under a year after their first time together, on the 23rd of April, they welcomed Edward Remus Lupin into the world. The very same day, in a floo call to Dumbledore's office, they asked Holly Potter to be his godmother.

(She hadn't smiled so brightly since before Sirius' death.)

.

The Blood War started in earnest six months later and lasted for seven long years.

.

Teddy was six when his father died. Three months later, he was an orphan.

Afterwards, all he would hear from everyone was "how brave" and "how noble" his parents were, as if their deaths were somehow good or right. As if their deaths were somehow okay because at least they "went out like true Gryffindors." He hated those words, hated how often they were associated with death during the war, hated how _those two stupid words_ were used as justification, as if dying _bravely_ , dying _nobly_ , was a goal they should all aspire to.

He hated it, hated the war, and hated everything.

.

(He had locked himself in his parents' bedroom, curled up beneath the blankets of their bed, trying to memorize their scents around his tears when he'd heard the door unlock and creak open. When he heard nothing else, he had lowered the blankets and peered out. A petite woman with shoulder-length black hair and weary green eyes kneeled at the bedside, looking at him sadly.

Holly had returned from the battlefield. She was dirty, in need of food, healing, and a shower, but instead she knelt before him like a woman faced with her executioner.

"Do you hate me, Teddy-bear?" she'd asked quietly, voice trembling. "Do you hate me for not finishing this war before it took the lives of your parents? Do you blame me?"

He had wanted to say yes. He had wanted to scream at her and cry and curl up in her arms all at once. He had wanted to hate her, wanted to blame her. But he hadn't been able to. He hadn't been able to blame Holly, hadn't been able to hate the only parental figure he had left. He hadn't been able to hate the woman who'd read him bedtime stories and held him when he cried, who had snuck him a piece of chocolate when it was meant to be rationed for recovering from Dementor exposure, who had taught him and played with him.

He hadn't been able to hate the woman who cried herself to sleep at night rather than show the people she led any weakness, who personally added the names of the fallen to the memorial wall within Hogwarts. He hadn't been able to hate her, not when her face brightened with love and happiness and hope whenever she saw him.

"No. I love my Aunt Holly."

She smiled even through her tears.)

.

On Teddy's seventh birthday, his only gift was a mother.

With the adoption official, Holly became the foundation upon which he built his life.

.

His foundation was shaken when, to end the War, his mother walked _bravely_ , _nobly_ to her death. _Like a true Gryffindor_.

When everything was over, he and his mother – _**alive**_! – lay in her bed, clinging to each another like they were both the only thing keeping the other grounded. It came to him suddenly that, just as she was his foundation, he was the center of her world.

And with that realization, his thoughts spilled over into words.

He told her that for the five minutes he thought her dead, he had hated her. That those five minutes were the longest of his short life, that the hurt he'd felt had made him want to die. If he'd felt that way, then he couldn't imagine how she would feel if he were to somehow die because hadn't Grandma always told him that when a child hurts, their parent hurts three times as much?

He told her that he never wanted to be brave, never wanted to be noble, not if it meant dying because dying meant hurting her, dying meant leaving her alone.

"That's alright, Teddy-bear," she whispered. "I'll love you anyway."

.

As soon as they could, Teddy and his mother retreated to one of the many houses she had inherited and, together, made a home. He had spent the first eight years of his life in the Hogwarts Castle, but that house, hidden away in a forest in the middle of nowhere, became his true home. The few uninterrupted years he got to spend there were some of the best of his life.

.

Returning to Hogwarts for schooling was… Difficult. Not just because he hadn't wanted to leave his mom, but because being back in Hogwarts, being around so many familiar faces, felt like going back in time, like returning to the war.

It wasn't just him either; countless other students felt the same way. Many of those in the higher years were students who had actually been sorted during the war, their lessons taught between war councils and their lessons largely practical and revolving around the War.

All the students were the children of families who had sought refuge in the Castle during the War.

.

Teddy and his mother both were unsurprised when he was sorted into Slytherin.

There were some whispers from the students, of course, wondering how he could be a Slytherin when his parents, biological and adopted, were so brave, so noble, but it was quickly dismissed. They had grown up with Teddy, knew he was both biological and adopted child of a Marauder; they figured it was only fitting that his cunning would see him become a member of the Slytherin house.

Besides, it was a sign of true change that a half-blood was sorted into Slytherin and accepted so easily.

.

Thankfully, his years at Hogwarts passed quickly.

He always did his best in class, often scoring within the top five of his year. He did well on both OWLs and NEWTs, became Prefect and then went on to become Head Boy. At least three weeks every summer break was spent at home with just him and his mom before they were off, traveling the world or visiting family.

.

It was during one of those trips – to Egypt, actually, visiting Bill and Fleur – that Teddy discovered he had inherited more than just his metamorphamagus abilities from the Black family line.

Though they had been reassured that all the traps within the tomb had been cleared out, it was clear that his mom's luck had acted up and they had stumbled upon a booby trap that had quickly done its best to succeed where Voldemort had ultimately failed. Without even thinking, he had dove to cover his mom with his body; terrified and yet determined to see her live no matter what, he had hoped for a minor miracle.

And he got it when purple flames sprung up around him in a wall of protection.

They had made it through a little worse for wear, but alive.

Their plans for the rest of the summer were canceled and they returned to their home, diving into research to discover the source and the meaning behind the purple flames. They didn't have much luck, only that they were called 'Dying Will Flames' and that throughout history, members of the Black family capable of producing the strange purple flames had sprung up. .

With a shrug, Teddy learned to control them and moved on with his life.

.

That first time he had produced the purple Dying Will flames had unlocked something within him. Suddenly, instincts that he had long ignored or written off were demanding more attention than ever. He prowled the boundaries of his and his mother's home, as if laying claim to it and searching for threats.

Yet, at the same time, he had this almost overwhelming urge to travel, to see the world, to challenge himself.

It was only being around his mother that helped him calm those urges, helped him reign in his temper as it got worse with age. Just by being around her, that raging flame within him calmed. And when he grew too bored, too restless, they would travel somewhere and she would give him a task, little challenges, like she had when he was little to help him learn things.

Pretend to be this kind of person. Trick the baker into giving you a pastry for free. Learn the names of that woman's children.

All little tasks that tested his abilities, his intellect, his cunning, that prepared him – unknowingly – for his future.

.

It came as no real surprise that three weeks after graduating from Hogwarts, Teddy grew restless. No matter how often he – ugh – patrolled the land around his home, no matter how many trips he and his mom took to visit family or just to see new things, no matter how much time he spent just being with his mom or doing her little challenges, the itch beneath his skin refused to ease.

He wanted to travel, wanted to do new things, wanted to challenge himself, but he couldn't do that anywhere in the magical world without being recognized as Teddy Lupin, even with his ability to change his appearance. His magic was too recognizable.

His mom, Merlin bless her, had pointed out the obvious.

If he couldn't travel in the magical world, then he should go to the muggle.

.

Skull de Mort was born August 8th. He was a lanky and a bit awkward, as if he'd just hit a growth spurt and still wasn't used to the new length of his limbs, and clumsy more often than not, as evidenced by the small bandage on his face. He had purple hair and purple eyes and had no shortage of piercings, a way of showing his individualism and rebelling against society.

Skull was cocky and full of himself, with an odd fascination for Japanese culture, and a tendency to refer to himself in the third person.

And Skull was a stuntman, seeking out new thrills and dangerous stunts to perform.

.

It was that need to challenge himself that was used against him not long after Skull was "born."

A man appeared wearing an iron hat and a checker faced mask and offered him a challenge.

How could he refuse?

He sent a letter to his mother and went on his merry way.

.

It just figured that he would end up cursed. His mother's luck had rubbed off after all.

.

Through the years, Skull had done his best to keep his two lives separate from each other.

Not because he was worried that his mother couldn't handle it. Please, his mother was _Holly_ _Potter_ ; she wasn't going to be scared off by a little thing like the _Mafia_.

He was worried that the Mafia wouldn't survive his mother.

* * *

[~][~][~]

This was the story - well, the first chapter of the story - that I meant to have out a couple of weeks ago before I went on vacation. It's a bit different, but it should be a fun journey.

For the record, I tend to quite literally edit as I write. I don't really have a beta either, so if you notice any mistakes, please feel free to point them out to me and I will correct them as soon as possible. :)

-D.


	2. At A Picnic

**At A Picnic**

 **Summary** : At the celebration picnic of their curse being broken, the Arcobaleno learn it's not a 'what' is making their Cloud nervous, but a 'who.'

 **Author's** **Notes** : In the middle of writing this bit, I asked myself: "What would shock the Arcobaleno more than this woman turning out to be Skull's mom?" And the answer was easily: "If she were Skull's wife." And so, 'One, Two, Three' was born. As this one would be the most familiar, considering I reworked this to fit with 'One, Two, Three' I thought I would get it out of the way first.

* * *

[~][~][~]

It was a celebratory picnic in honor of the Curse being broken and the Arcobaleno being returned to their adult forms. Tsuna had had to have Vongola rent an entire park in Namimori to accommodate the sheer amount of people present – from the Shimon to the Varia and all the Chaos that was bound to spring up around them.

But not even that chaos could distract the Arcobaleno from the fact that something was off with their Cloud. The second youngest Arcobaleno – and he was so young; God, he barely looked old enough to be considered an adult – was anxious, his purple eyes constantly darting in the direction of the front gate, his fingers fidgeting with his stunt suit.

Their Cloud was keeping something from them and even in the midst of their giddy excitement, his nerves were making them twitchy.

Reborn had just opened his mouth to demand an explanation when everything about Skull stilled, his focus narrowing in on something in the distance. They followed his line of sight – and blinked.

Where no one had stood before, about thirty yards away, there now stood a woman. She was rather petite, dressed in casual clothing, and too far away for them to make out any features beyond the paleness of her skin and the midnight tumble of her hair.

That was apparently enough for Viper because the Illusionist stiffened, hand darting out to catch Skull's wrist as the Cloud stood and started forward.

"How?" Viper demanded. "How do you know her?"

For a long moment, Skull studied the Mist, saying nothing. Then, gently breaking the hold on his wrist, he said only "She's my mother" before loping off with a never-before-seen grace, uncaring of the fact that his words had left Viper white and swaying dangerously in their seat.

Skull was the son of the Woman-Who-Conquered.

"Oh my God."

.

Being able to embrace his mother again was definitely one of the best things about the Curse being broken. As a child, her scarred, fragile arms had been his shelter, had held him together when he felt as if he were going to break. As he'd grown, while a part of him had always regretted outgrowing the days he could curl up in her arms and block out the world, the rest of him had reveled in the fact that he could now return the favor, could now be her safe harbor in return.

Skull would never be brave like his parents, but he could do this one thing for her, could return the tight embrace that was the only thing standing between her and a breakdown.

"My Teddy-bear," she whispered. "Oh, I've missed you so much."

"I've missed you too, Mum," he replied, his hold tightening when she sniffled. The hold remained for a minute before she pulled away, wiping the tears from her cheeks as a smile began tugging at her lips. Skull felt his doing the same and before long, the two were wearing matching overjoyed grins.

"Oh, I feel like I should ground you, but I'm just so glad to see you again!"

Skull's smile grew impossibly wider. "Come and meet my friends!"

.

Skull pulling the ebon-haired woman along behind him as he strode towards them purposefully filled the Arcobaleno with an unexpected bout of anxiety, exacerbated by Viper's increasingly flustered air.

"Is that really his mother?" Lal hissed. The woman was young, barely looking to be in her mid-twenties with pale skin, pretty features, and green _green_ eyes. A pair of wireless frames perched on her nose and she bore a faded lightning bolt scar on her forehead. Viper made a noise of acknowledgement to Lal's question, but said nothing else.

And then there was no more time for questions because Skull and the woman he'd said was his mother were right there.

"Everyone, this is my mum—" and suddenly, it was easy for the Arcobaleno to hear an accent in Skull's voice. "Mum, this is everyone."

"Hello," she greeted easily, expression amused as she took in the varying levels of shock and disbelief and just plain confusion on the faces of the group.

Surprisingly, or not, Viper was the first to step forward. The illusionist gave a graceful half bow that caused green eyes to sharpen in surprise before returning the graceful movement with one of her own.

"The honor is mine," Viper said firmly.

"The pleasure is mine. It is always a treat, meeting friends of Skull's, but you lot especially. I've heard a lot."

[~][~][~]

* * *

Yep, this was the beginning of 'One, Two, Three.'

Onwards!

-D.


	3. In A Fight

**In A Fight**

 **Summary** : She didn't look like much, but there was more the petite woman who arrived to fight on Skull's behalf than first appeared.

 **Author's** **Notes** : Again, remember that all of these little one-shots are not connected, unless otherwise stated. In this one, Holly was/is a Sky, but the removal of the Horcrux from her scar broke her Sky flames until she can only use Lightning/Cloud flames.

* * *

[~][~][~]

Enma met her first.

After agreeing to represent Skull in the battles, it had occurred to him that he might be in over his head if he were the only person fighting on the Cloud Arcobaleno's behalf, so even though the woman didn't look like much, he was grateful for the help all the same.

She had introduced herself simply as 'Holly' and gave off a friendly, open air that quickly had Enma relaxing and opening up to the older woman.

.

The Varia met her next.

She was an unknown and looked harmless. She was small, actually shorter than Belphegor, with pale skin, dark hair, and green eyes behind a pair of wireless frames. She wore jeans and a pair of worn sneakers, and while it was possible she was hiding a weapon beneath her loose, bulky sweater, the Varia as a whole rather doubted it.

In fact, they thought this would be a relatively easy fight, no matter that they were going up against the Cloud Arcobaleno and the Shimon brat.

So, as soon as the fight timer started, they'd dropped in with every intention of wiping the floor with them and being one step closer to breaking Mammon's curse.

Except that the unknown female literally disappeared into thin air and the only hint to her location was the direction that attacks were thrown at them from. Not that an invisible target was an issue, they'd dealt with things like that before; an invisible target that seemed capable of instantaneously moving between locations – one second, she was attacking from Squalo's left, and the next an attack would be coming from the other side – was a bit more difficult.

It didn't help their pride any that rather than the woman put them out of their misery quickly, she seemed to take pleasure in making them look like idiots; the wires attached to Bel's knives tied themselves in knots, or would either trip or trap other Varia members; their bootlaces would mysteriously tie themselves together at random; anything aimed at Skull or Enma would change course and shoot back towards the member who threw it; at one point, out of nowhere, eggs were launched at them quickly followed by bags of flour upending over their heads.

Needless to say, the battle was a draw and the Varia came out a little worse for wear.

.

Basil did not meet her so much as observed her meeting the Vindice.

While he had heard rumors that Skull's mysterious representative had played with the Varia when they attacked the Cloud Arcobaleno, he found himself doubting their validity simply because who the hell plays practical jokes on the Varia in the middle of a battle?

He could safely say here that Skull's representative was not playing.

When the Vindice had warped in, the female representative was nowhere to be seen and Basil was unsure whether that was because she wasn't there or because she was invisible. But as soon as the Vindice had begun their attack on Team Skull, as soon as they had plucked the Boss Watch from Enma's wrist, a woman appeared from thin air smack in the middle of the Vindice.

There was no amusement on her face. Not even a hint of playfulness.

There was an eerie silence. The calm before the storm.

Then the woman's flames exploded out from her in a halo of power that was tinged with death, which left a shiver of dread caught in Basil's spine.

Two of Bermuda's men were killed within seconds as the rest of them scrambled to warp away.

Bermuda may have taken Team Skull's watches, but he paid dearly for entering the fight.

.

Tsuna met her next.

From the moment the idea had first popped into his head, his intuition had been nudging him to seek out Team Skull, that he would need the help of Team Skull almost more than anyone else. So, while in-between fights, Tsuna wanders, following his intuition until he reaches an abandoned warehouse where it appears Skull and his mysterious representative have taken up temporary residence.

He lingered outside for a moment, old insecurities coming back: would they laugh at his idea, would they turn down his offer, call him an idiot? What if they didn't want to help? Were they really as important as his intuition insisted they were?

He shook off his doubts and entered the warehouse.

It was a surprisingly comfortable set up inside, for being abandoned. When he found them, Skull and the black haired woman are setting on a couch before a fireplace – why the hell is there a fireplace in a warehouse? – sipping tea.

Skull is clearly recovered from the attack, but…

There was something different in Skull's eyes, something protective and Tsuna wondered if there was more to the pair of them than any figured. But he ignored the other questions building in his mind and instead asked the one he'd come all this way for.

"Will you help?"

"Explain everything."

Skull clearly saw Tsuna's reluctance, but the Cloud Arcobaleno's expression only hardened.

"You love your mother, Sawada, right? Would never want her hurt or have her dragged into something potentially harmful?"

"O-of course!" Tsuna had agreed defensively.

"Then you understand how I feel. Explain everything, or we will not help."

Tsuna stared, uncomprehending for a long moment, then – and he would swear up and down later on that Skull's eyes flashed green – he realized: his thought earlier was right, but not in the manner he had thought.

The woman by Skull's side is _his mother_.

Tsuna sat down and explained everything.

.

The Arcobaleno met her at the same time as Checker Face.

All of them were gathered after the battle against Bermuda was won, the return of a seemingly healthy Skull and his mysterious representative forgotten in the face of Checker Face appearing and revealing his identity as Kawahira.

At least, they were forgotten until Kawahira released his flames and all but the ebon-haired woman were forced to their knees in the face of his flames. When his attention turned fully to the woman, a noise of wistful regret escaped him.

"Oh," Kawahira sighed. "If only I had found you before you were broken. You would have held the Sky for a century."

"Two centuries, if we're being honest," the woman said mildly, as if she wasn't revealing just how strong of a Sky she had been before she was broken, how she would have lasted decades beyond the usual handful of years Sky Arcobalenos were capable of.

"Why did you have to be broken?" Kawahira lamented, reaching out and tugging almost playfully at a lock of the woman's midnight hair. "Such a powerful Sky, shattered."

"Don't touch my mother," Skull snarled into the stunned silence of Kawahira's revelations.

The quiet before had been almost loud compared to the silence that enveloped the group now.

Then…

" _ **YOUR MOTHER!?**_ "

[~][~][~]

* * *

This will be the last posting for the day. Just wanted to get a couple out so you weren't left hanging for weeks with only the introduction to Teddy-is-Skull to read. :]

These likely aren't and won't be my best written pieces, as a warning. Mostly these are just scenes I have written out in my notebook that I have no idea how to incorporate into other stories, nor do I actually have other stories to use them for at this time.

As I mentioned in the author's note of the first chapter, it's always a possibility that one of these scenes could eventually grow into its own separate story/universe, but currently, they're just pieces thrown together for your reading pleasure.

 _ **Thank you**_ to everyone who is already enjoying this little series of stories. Your reviews, favorites, follows, hell, just your views on this story and the others make my day.

-D.


	4. Breakfast at Tsuna's

**Breakfast at Tsuna's**

 **Summary** : This year, the Vongola Day of Honor has a very special guest!

 **Author's** **Notes** : I wasn't in such a rush to write this one as I was with "At a Picnic" and "In a Fight" so it's much more detailed than the previous two. There are still plenty more that I'm working on and will post, so look forward to those!

* * *

[~][~][~]

Not long after Tsuna had become Decimo, he'd dedicated a week to wading through the rather lengthy list of Vongola Family Traditions and whittling it down to something much more manageable.

He'd removed the traditions deemed too cruel or violent – he was _**trying**_ to _**reform**_ the Mafia here, **_not_ ** encourage pointless bloodshed – as well as the ones that were out of date or too "What the hell?", including the tradition where, on the fifth of May in years ending with an odd number, you were only allowed to eat fruit and **only** if you were able to cut up said fruit while juggling it and a pair of knives without cutting yourself.

(He was already risking his sanity by being in the Mafia, he wasn't going to add to his own burden.)

But, he'd also ended up adding a tradition or two.

One, known only as "The Vongola Day of Honor," was originally a day set aside each year meant for honoring the parents of the Tenth Generation, but it quickly grew to include _everyone's_ parents. The Tenth Generation would take the day off and focus their attention on the people who had raised them into the people they were today.

When it had first started, it was a relatively small gathering, with only the parents and immediate family of the Tenth Generation gathering and spending the day together. After it had grown, though, Tsuna had decided that the afternoon (and the extensive Vongola gardens) would be open to any and all who wanted to show their appreciation for their parents and would culminate in a five-star dinner paid for by the Vongola.

Breakfast and lunch was still reserved for Tsuna's family and the family of his Guardians and closest friends.

And though they were not his guardians, nor did many of them have living family left, the Arcobaleno were always invited.

.

Off the top of his head, Skull could easily name a dozen different times in his life where he'd been doubtful of getting out of a sticky situation alive only for the stars to align _just right_ in order for him to make it out by the skin of his teeth. Others had commented on this strange aptitude for making it out of bad situations relatively unscathed, swearing that he had the devil's own luck and, without even meaning to, adding to the legend around 'The Immortal Stuntman'.

Even the Arcobaleno had mentioned it in the past, though it was quickly followed by Reborn or Collonello pointing out that he had to have _something_ going for him considering how useless he was at everything else.

Skull would always just grin and say that he'd gotten his luck from his mother.

Given his recent streak of good luck, the universe had apparently decided enough was enough and that it was time to remind him that there was a flipside to his mother's good luck.

And the universe had clearly recruited help.

.

In previous years, when the calendar had rolled around to the time of year where Vongola held its annual "Day of Honor", Skull would vanish and return only a week after the predicted event date. The majority of the Arcobaleno didn't question this, continuing on with their everyday life without pause; Yuni and Fon, though, couldn't help but notice and wonder why, and though they asked, they could never get an answer from the surprisingly evasive Cloud.

This year would be the same, they could already tell.

That day, Yuni had decided to visit the Vongola Mansion; she wanted to spend time with Reborn, Tsuna, and Tsuna's guardians, having been unable to see them for the past week after catching a cold. She'd insisted Skull go with her, wanting to spend time with him before he vanished to wherever he did at this time of year, and for lack of anything better to do, Fon had followed along as well. He could always amuse himself by bothering Kyouya, he'd reasoned.

The day had been pleasant, even with the surprise visit by Byakuran much to Tsuna's exasperation, and they had all just sat down to lunch when the ex-Mare ring holder had asked Tsuna how the planning for the Day of Honor was going.

Suspicious of the wicked gleam in Byakuran's eye, Tsuna had been slow to answer, but had finally said that everything was coming together well and was there a reason to Byakuran asking?

"You should plan for an extra person at breakfast and lunch, Tsunayoshi-kun," the white-haired man had smiled.

"Are you bringing someone, Byakuran?" Tsuna had asked curiously.

A Rock of Foreboding appeared in Tsuna's stomach when the vulpine smile on Byakuran's face grew until only a sliver of the man's lavender eyes could be seen as they turned towards Skull, who sat tensely three chairs down the table, the hold on his fork tightening as he narrowed his own purple eyes.

"Skull-kun, you haven't told them your mother is still alive?" he asked, tone reprimanding. Unholy glee appeared on Byakuran's face even as he dove beneath the table, dodging the fork that was now stuck firmly in the back of his chair.

"Your mother is still alive, Skull?" Fon questioned, looking at the Cloud who, having been given another fork, had continued eating as if nothing had happened.

"Oi, Lackey. Fon asked you a question." Reborn's eyebrow twitched in annoyance when Skull ignored him, angling his body away from everyone else at the table. When Reborn prepared to hit the Lackey – and the Lackey was aware of it, if the way he'd hunched into himself said anything – Yuni shook her head. With a 'che' of annoyance, Leon returned to his normal form and Reborn continued on with his meal.

Skull remained that way for the rest of lunch, refusing to look or respond to any attempts at conversation. It was only when coffee and dessert was brought out that Reborn – fed up with the way Skull continued to ignore Fon's steady gaze, Byakuran's teasing words, and even Yuni's quiet concern – said something that finally got a reaction from the stuntman.

"Don't bother. The Lackey's mother is probably as useless as he is."

Skull's head whipped around and Reborn's momentary feeling of triumph at getting a reaction faded when, rather than the loud vocal defense he'd been expecting, he got only purple eyes glowing in anger.

"Skull-nii's mama must be a wonderful woman," Yuni refuted, the calm confidence of her words cutting through the tension. Skull's glare faded as his attention turned toward the younger teenager, the purple glow fading from his eyes. His expression twisted, looking torn between wanting to boast of his mother and wanting to remain quiet to protect her.

(Not even Reborn would admit the sliver of hurt he felt at the thought that, despite all the Arcobaleno had been through together, Skull did not trust them with the secret of his mother.)

"She is," he agreed finally, the words clipped and his lips pressing together as soon as he was finished speaking, as if he had to physically stop himself from saying more.

"I would love to meet her," Yuni smiled, her words half-statement and half-plead.

"Skull, your mother is more than welcome to attend," Tsuna broke in quietly.

The violet-haired teen grimaced. "I'll ask."

.

Much to Skull's dismay, when he brought up the event and Tsuna's invitation to his mother the next time he talked to her, she jumped on the chance.

He'd hoped that she would want (need) to remain in England, that she wouldn't feel up to traveling to Italy in the middle of the school year.

Of course, _of course_ , she would go out of her way to prove him wrong.

.

For Tsuna, the Day of Honor started early. You simply couldn't gather all of his Guardians, closest friends, the Arcobaleno and all their respective families in one place and NOT have it result in _**Chaos!**_

So, in the middle of frantically running around doing damage control while also ensuring that breakfast would be ready on time, the polite _knock-knock-knock_ on the door was a welcome but unexpected distraction. Frowning because he was sure that all of the guests had either all arrived last night or earlier this morning, Tsuna pretended that Collonello hadn't just finally succeeded in dragging Skull into a fight; that Lambo wasn't literally and figuratively pulling I-pin's pigtails; that Gokudera was not on the verge of throwing dynamite in the house _again_ ; that the only thing that stopped him was seeing his sister's unobscured face; that his mother wasn't just giggling happily over all of this, and opened the door.

The woman standing on the doorstep wore a friendly smile and looked younger than his intuition insisted she was. She was pretty, though, with black hair that fell to below her shoulders in a riot of curls, pale skin marred only by a faded scar shaped like a lightning bolt on her forehead, and bright, almost unnaturally bright, green eyes behind a pair of rectangular frames that made her seem a little like a librarian. Beneath her dark grey pea coat, she wore a burgundy sweater that looked hand knit and a pair of black pants tucked into a pair of heeled boots.

She looked blessedly normal, even if his Intuition was screaming that she was anything but.

"Morning," she greeted happily, ignoring the chaos behind Tsuna with enviable ease (even he flinched at what sounded like a vase shattering). "I'm here for the breakfast thing? I was told to arrive at half past eight, but I was excited. It's rare that my son wants me to meet his friends, you know?" she explained, the more she spoke, the more noticeable the hint of a British accent in her Italian became.

An awkward silence ensued as Tsuna could only stare at the woman in disbelief; she barely looked older than the recently cured Arcobaleno, how could she have a son!?

"Who are you?" Tsuna asked hesitantly, cringing with guilt when the woman's smile faltered then faded completely when she realized he was serious. Disappointment filled her face and Tsuna wanted to squirm with guilt; it was like being back in the principal's office, or Hibari's. He hadn't done anything but he still felt guilty, hieeee!

"He didn't tell you I was coming?"

Tsuna mutely shook his head.

"Oh. Well, this is awkward," the woman winced. She bit her lip, looking almost lost; then, she seemed to gather herself and shrugged half-heartedly. "Hi there, I'm Holly. I'm Skull's mum," she introduced.

There was a sudden unnerving silence from within the house.

(Tsuna didn't need the famed Vongola Intuition to know that the Arcobaleno were now crowding in the doorway behind him.)

[~][~][~]

* * *

As I was finishing typing this one up, I was struck with a sudden sense of dread as I realized: I'm going to end up adding " _Part Two_ " to some of these, without a doubt.

Damn.

-D.


	5. Yuni Asked

**Yuni Asked**

 **Summary** : Luce, the Mafia's Official Strongest Sky, couldn't harmonize with Skull. They assumed it was because of incompatible ideals, not seeing (or not caring to see) the way the weakest of their number would often grimace and turn away from Luce. Then, after the Curse is broken, a simple question opens their eyes: "Skull-nii, can I meet your Sky?"

 **Author's** **Notes** : As requested by **Gayle-Feyn**. I hope this is what you were looking for. ^^

* * *

[~][~][~]

It hadn't taken Skull long to learn that, much like Magic, active Flames had their quirks. His had manifested in a need to challenge himself, to constantly test his limits, like a cloud seeing how high it could get in the sky or how low it could sink into a valley before it would be changed or destroyed.

And when his mum's flames had become active at the end of the Blood war, Skull had found her sudden inclination to rearranging things until they worked perfectly together to be just one more thing that endeared her to him (and the rest of the magical world).

Yes, all the flames had their quirks.

He just hadn't realized how annoying the quirks of a Sky flame could be until now, when the Sky in question wasn't his mother, but a _stranger_. If he'd known, he'd have turned down Checker Face's invitation in a heartbeat because having his Cloud flames metaphysically _stroked_ was just not how he wanted to spend his time.

.

Skies sought Harmony; it was just the way they were. If they couldn't find it, they would create it.

Even if a Sky had a complete set of Guardians, if they were alone around strong Elements, their flames would reach out and try to make a connection, try to find _Harmony_ within the turbulence of gathered Elements.

Sometimes, it worked, especially if the other Elements weren't already bonded to another Sky. The tentative connections were, at times, the closet some would ever come a true Harmonization with a Sky and, for them, it was comforting and welcome. A warm hug at the end of a long day.

But for those who already had a Sky, it was an uncomfortable, and sometimes painful, experience. It was the pins and needles of feeling returning to your limbs when you stood after sitting for a long time. It was like being stared at across the room by a stranger who may or may not be a serial killer. It was like being continually hit on by a stranger while holding hands with your significant other.

.

Skull grimaced as Luce's Flames once more reached out and brushed against his own.

He knew that she wasn't doing it on purpose, knew that she couldn't help it and couldn't stop her Flames from trying to do what they were meant to; but that did little to stop the beginnings of dislike he could feel growing each time her Flames brushed against his, the agitation that built at the continued caresses.

He already had a Sky; his Flames knew it and didn't appreciate this interloper, this _Other Sky_ that was trying to tie them down, trying to seduce them away from their true home.

 _(How dare she try to take his mother's place?)_

His Flames lashed out, rebuffing Luce's latest attempt at creating a bond, and startled the Sky enough that she paused in mid-conversation with Reborn.

Her eyes sought his and gained a shrewd edge as she studied him; then, understanding flickered into her eyes and she smiled softly at him.

He really wished she hadn't.

Dropping his head onto the table, Skull groaned and did his best to ignore Reborn's glare.

This was going to be a long meeting.

(At least Luce had reigned in her Sky Flames.)

.

On _That Day_ , after the Curse, after the breaking of the fragile bonds that had formed between Luce and the other Arcobaleno, Collonello – who had been cursed in Lal's place after he tried to rescue her – turned to Skull with a puzzled look.

"Why aren't you as upset as the others that your Sky lied to you?"

In what Collonello would later recognize as a rare moment of blunt seriousness, Skull had given him a stern, almost offended, look and said only "She wasn't my Sky."

Shrugging as the purple haired toddler turned away, Collonello had figured that there'd been a difference of ideals so big that Skull had simply never harmonized with Luce.

.

None of them harmonized with Aria, not even the slightest bit, when she received the Sky pacifier.

.

When Yuni – teenaged Yuni, who had once given her life for them in The Future That Wasn't – took up the Sky Arcobaleno mantle just before the Representative Battles, fragile bonds were formed once more.

Once more and despite Skull's status as Lackey and Weakest Arcobaleno, Collonello turned to the Cloud. "She your Sky, kora?"

Skull shook his head. "She isn't my Sky."

Yuni only smiled at the Cloud.

.

When the Curse was broken, when the Elements of the Sky had regained their adult forms, when they'd spent two months living in close quarters and had become a family but not a Sky and her Elements, Yuni turned to the Cloud during dinner.

"Skull-nii, can I meet your Sky?"

The silence was sudden, almost unnervingly so, as the others turned to look in disbelief at Skull.

Skull, who only looked thoughtfully back at the others before turning back to Yuni with a wry smile. "Sure. She's wanted to meet everyone anyway!"

.

They followed Skull to London, to a street where the only remarkable thing was how the house numbers skipped from 11 to 13.

Well, the only remarkable thing until, after reading 'Minister Potter's Townhouse may be found at number twelve, Grimmauld Place, London' off a scrap of what felt like parchment, numbers 11 and 13 seemed to move aside to make room for number 12.

Reborn looked at Skull. "You've got a lot of explaining to do, Lackey."

Skull shrugged and led the way across the street. For a moment, the purple-haired teen hesitated at the door and glanced back over his shoulder at the group following him; at Yuni's excited smile and the others' expectant looks, he sighed, pushed open the door, and invited them in.

.

The door opened into a long hallway with dark wooden floors and warm walls, lit by a large chandelier. There were two doorways visible on each side of the hall, the first door to the right opening into what looked like a drawing room, and at the end of the hallway, were stairs that curved up to the next floor.

Around the edge of the first doorway to the left, a head of long, pale blonde hair popped out and large, slightly bulbous, silvery-grey eyes peered at the group before focusing on Skull as he came to the head of the group.

"Little Cloud," an airy voice greeted before a petite woman who looked to be in her late twenties stepped into the hall. She was dressed oddly, wearing a garishly bright yellow sundress with no shoes and radish earrings.

"Hey, Aunt Luna," Skull said easily. "Is –"

Luna cut him off. "She's in her office. Remind her that dinner will be ready soon, so she shouldn't let the wrackspurts get to her head."

"Will do. Do you - ?"

"I'll meet your friends at dinner, Little Cloud. She should meet them first, don't you think?" Luna smiled warmly before drifting back through the doorway she had first appeared from.

"Right." Skull shook his head and continued down the hallway, Yuni so close behind that she nearly tripped the Cloud Arcobaleno several times by stepping on his heels.

They stopped at the last door on the right side, across from a painting of a castle in ruins with black smoke curling up towards the sky as the sun rose. Viper lingered in front of it as Skull knocked on the door.

"Come in," a woman's voice called out distractedly.

.

The office was painted a pale spring green with ivory carpeting and heavy, dark furniture. A large picture window that looked out into a garden was across from the door, giving a sense of openness to the otherwise small and slightly cluttered room. Bookshelves lined the wall immediately to the side of the door, wrapping around to behind the desk to the right. A large fireplace and seating was to the left, and above the mantle was a portrait of a dark haired woman in her late teens looking at the young, dark-haired, amber-eyed boy seated in her lap.

"Aunt Luna says to finish up as dinner will be done soon," Skull said, catching the Arcobaleno's attention.

Behind the desk, looking only a few years older than in the portrait, a head of black hair shot up from the paper she'd been frowning at. Wide emerald eyes behind a pair of glasses stared at the group before a grin appeared on the woman's face.

"You didn't tell me you were coming to visit!" she reproached as she leapt up from her chair and hurried around the desk to wrap Skull in a hug.

"It was kind of a spur of the moment decision, really," Skull replied, returning the fierce embrace. Something about him relaxed as he hugged the shorter woman, resting his chin on her on her head. For a long moment, the pair of them simply stood there, hugging each other tightly before the woman pulled back, her smile just as wide as it was but now softened with affection.

"Alright, introduce me to your friends!" she ordered playfully. "I simply can't wait a moment longer to officially meet them."

Yuni, apparently also unable to wait a moment longer, beamed and bounced over. "I'm so happy to finally meet Skull-nii's Sky!" she exclaimed as she shook the woman's hand.

"That's all he's told you?" the woman asked incredulously.

"He hasn't really told us anything, honestly," Fon interjected calmly, easing up behind Yuni to study the woman who was Skull's Sky.

"That explains it, then," she sighed, looking at Skull who only shrugged. She rolled her eyes before turning back to face the Martial Artist with a smile. "I'm Holly, Skull's Sky and also his mum."

Fon, in the middle of a polite bow, froze.

"You've really got a lot of explaining to do, Lackey," Reborn said lowly.

[~][~][~]

* * *

For the record, I do take requests. I can't make any promises that I'll get to your request quickly, but I _**do**_ save them so that I might later look at it and potentially be smacked in the head by inspiration.

A reviewer pointed out that he/she found my style of writing confusing; I was wondering if the same applies to any other readers? I know that while this style of writing is the easiest for and makes the most sense to me, it might not the same for you. So let me know if you are having problems and I'll see what I can do to make things less confusing.

On another note, many of you have requested that I make these longer and/or add more to the reactions of the Arcobaleno beyond the initial "omgwut" where they learn that Holly is Skull's mother. To be honest, though, I find that difficult to do; when I first came up with this idea, the Arcobaleno meeting Holly **was** the end-game. It was never meant to be a collection of completed stories so much as it was a collection of fleshed out ideas that might someday jumpstart a story. For some of these chapters, a continuation has been easy to imagine, while others are likely to remain as is.

I realize that's probably very frustrating for you as readers, and all I can really offer to comfort you is the _possibility_ of a part two that delves more into the little world I've created with each chapter, or that it might someday become a story all on its own. I'm sorry I can't offer more than that. :(

Until next chapter!

-D.


	6. Yuni Asked, Part II

**Yuni Asked, Part II**

 **Author's Notes** : What's this!? Yes, it is what you think it is.

I've had a lot of feedback regarding if my writing is as confusing as I worried it was; thank you, everyone, for letting me know that it's not! 3

 **A** **REMINDER** : Unless you see a chapter like this one - "Title, Part II" - then each chapter is a completely new way the Arcobaleno could meet Holly and, thus, is _unrelated_ to the previous one! Chapter One, "Becoming Skull," is the background, written to explain how I felt Teddy could become Skull and give you, the reader, a place to start. It's basically a prologue.

 **REMEMBER** , unless there is a "Part II" attached, each chapter is basically a completely new idea/story.

ALSO: I don't know if y'all know, but **wolfsrainrules** wrote a story inspired by this series! (Yes, I did fangirl a little.) If you haven't read it yet, I encourage you to do so! Her story, Slip Up, was pretty much what pushed me over the edge of Harry Potter/Katekyo Hitman Reborn crossovers. It is _Chapter 10 "Mama Bear"_ in her story,  Flicker.

Happy reading!

* * *

[~][~][~]

Growing up, Skull had heard several stories of how short-tempered his mother was as a teenager, how her temper was slow to ignite and quick to burn, which was a blessing because her anger was violent and ran hot enough to rival the sun. These stories were usually followed up by a comment about how she'd 'grown out of it, her temper cooling with age,' and Skull would laugh.

Most thought it was because he found it hard to believe that his mother was ever hot-tempered

Truthfully, he laughed because it was clear that the people making that kind of comment clearly didn't know his mother as well as they thought they did. Despite the bravery and chivalry with which she led her life, Holly Potter was as much a Slytherin as she was a Gryffindor.

Her surface temper was just that; it was shallow, easy to provoke and quick to fade. It was the anger of someone who didn't really care about what had riled them beyond the annoyance and frustration of its current presence; it was what she felt when she didn't have all the information she needed to make an informed decision, a flare of rage that was more of a venting mechanism than real temper and passed quickly, allowing her to work around the obstacle.

But beneath the hot anger of a Gryffindor, there was the cold and patient rage of a Slytherin. It was the anger of a predator that would gladly bide it time before it retaliated, that would wait and plan and only strike when victory was guaranteed; it was the anger that held a grudge. It was the anger that she carried throughout the Blood War that had seen the downfall of the Darkest Wizard of the Century.

It was that same anger that had burst into existence when she had heard the subtle threat in Reborn's voice when he'd spoken to Skull in her office, the demand for information and the implied consequences of what would happen if Skull didn't comply.

.

"You've really got a lot of explaining to do, Lackey," Reborn said lowly, dark eyes narrowing at the unconcerned Cloud.

The temperature in the room plummeted, the hearty fire in the heart sputtering momentarily before flaring higher than before. The air in the office grew heavy, the weight of enraged Sky flames pressing down on them.

Skull winced, straightening from his previous slouch and giving Reborn a look of annoyed disbelief.

"His name," Holly interjected, voice mild but emerald eyes cold, "is Skull."

Coal black eyes clashed with emerald, a silent battle of wills that had the other Arcobaleno shifting unsurely.

Yuni was the Sky Arcobaleno, but Reborn was the Leader. They had followed his lead in many things, the Sun guiding them from the moment they'd first been gathered, through the Curse, and beyond.

But this was new territory, dangerous and uncharted. They didn't know who they were dealing with, only that she was _Skull's_ _Sky_ , _his_ _mother_ , and therefore _**Important.**_ They knew only that from the moment Yuni had first brought up meeting her, Skull had been different, had been slowly shedding his Lackey façade.

They knew only that, even now, Skull was not acting like the Skull they'd grown used to; before, Skull would have quailed, sputtered excuses and apologies and run away. Now, he was silent as he eased the slightest bit in front of his mother's form, not blocking Reborn's gaze, but clearly putting himself in the way, protective and ready to throw himself in the way of anything going after his mother.

The action surprised them all, and Reborn felt a sliver of hurt flash through him at the Cloud's actions, at what Skull putting himself between Reborn and Holly implied.

That Reborn was a threat to the short woman whose Flames curled protectively around her son. That Skull felt like he needed to protect her from him.

The sliver of hurt grew.

Reborn had never had a Sky, had never had a Family; none of the others really had. It was a risk that came with being the Strongest. Harmonization required that both Sky and Element be on similar footing, that the Sky be either equal in power or stronger, otherwise the Sky risked being overwhelmed and thrown out of balance. And Skies were already so rare, so highly sought after, and there was no guarantee that a Sky capable of matching his or the others' strength existed. He accepted that, accepted that he would likely never experience Harmonization.

And he had, through the shared experience and suffering of the Arcobaleno curse, created his own little family.

 _Skull_ was part of that family, no matter how useless or annoying he was (or seemed to be).

The short woman was important to Skull, and therefore important to him, to them all.

And now it seemed that Skull had never really trusted him, trusted them; not with his true self and most definitely not with this, his most precious secret.

And Reborn backed down.

He looked away, swept his fedora from his head and placed it over his heart, giving a small bow to the woman.

The weight of an enraged Sky lightened, just in time for an airy voice to echo down the hall.

"Dinner!"

.

Awkward and tense were the only words Skull could think of to describe the Arcobaleno as they sat down for dinner. Yuni was the only one unaffected, but despite her best attempts, her happy chatter did little to ease or mask the tension in the others.

Yuni had lasted longer than most. He'd seen grown men break and cower in under a minute when faced with his mother in this kind of mood before, so the fact that a teenager had lasted for twenty minutes before eventually falling silent was impressive.

And Mum was in a mood. For all that she'd played along with Yuni, answering the young girl's questions and making small talk, there was no hiding the edge of steely calculation in her gaze, the hint of consideration as she eyed the Arcobaleno.

He imagined it was disconcerting; like making small talk with a lion while knowing that your continued survival was dependent on the lion's indulgence, discussing the weather as it debated which part of you to eat first.

At least it was a small gathering, he mused, with only the Arcobaleno, his mother, and Aunt Luna seated at the table.

"Table's surprisingly empty tonight, Mum," Skull commented, smirk curling at his lips when some of the Arcobaleno twitched at his casual use of the word that had thrown their world out of alignment.

"If you'd visited yesterday, you would've been eating in the garden," she replied, eyes glinting with amusement at Skull's smirk. "A new session of the Wizengamot starts next week. Everyone showed up, wanting to catch up and hammer out details for the new two laws we're covering. We were here well past midnight."

Yuni perked up at a conversation she did not have to carry. "Do you mind my asking what you do for a living, Mrs. Potter?"

"Miss," Holly corrected gently, leaning back in her chair. "I am unmarried." She took a sip of her wine, seeming to take her time deciding on if she wanted to answer Yuni's question; for a moment, her eyes lingered on Mammon and then on her son.

"I'm the current Minister of Magic," she said easily, eyes twinkling as several of the Arcobaleno stiffened.

Magic itself was not a surprise. The two secret societies had kept wary eyes on each other for decades, perhaps even bordering on a century or more; stay in the Mafia long enough, you were bound to hear at least mentions of the Magical World and those in it.

They just hadn't expected for Skull's mother to essentially be a second Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

.

After dinner was complete, the pale-blonde woman – Aunt Luna, Skull had called her – had sent them all back to Holly's office to 'continue getting to know one another.' Even Skull's mother followed the other woman's instructions with a fond smile, asking only that drinks be sent in, and before long the group was spread about the office, the silence appearing once more.

Upon entering, Holly had taken the arm chair furthest from the door; Skull hadn't even hesitated, plopping down in the floor and resting his head on his mother's knee, wrapping his arms around the leg closest to him. Yuni had followed Skull's actions, sprawling out in the floor by the fire on her stomach, a bright grin appearing when a checkerboard popped into existence between her and Skull. As the two youngest Arcobaleno began to play, Holly's fingers began to absently comb through Skull's hair.

Reborn had taken the arm-chair opposite Holly, sitting with one leg crossed over the other and fedora twirling idly on a finger. At the end of the couch closest to him, Lal sat stiffly, her discomfort at the situation manifesting in a very precise military posture; at the other end, Fon sat completely at ease, a serene smile on his face as he observed the easy interaction between mother and son. Between the two, Collonello was leaning forward in his seat, elbow on his knee and propping his chin on his hand as he stared at Skull. Mammon drifted, sometimes picking up and weighing items about the room as if considering how much they would sell for. Verde browsed the bookshelves, pulling out books and skimming through them at random.

The silence was surprisingly comfortable, growing even more so when Luna drifted in, handing out favored beverages to those in the room. Afterwards, she joined Yuni and Skull in the floor, a deck of cards appearing in her hand, which were quickly dealt and the trio began a game of poker with chocolate chip cookies as currency.

"May I ask," Fon began quietly, "you undoubtedly spend a lot of time in this room, yet you only have a single portrait here, yet the child in the portrait does not seem familiar."

Holly's eyes half-opened from where they'd drifted shut in contentment. "Doesn't he?" she asked in reply. "The portrait is of Skull and I."

Fon blinked, and those gathered looked from teenager – pale skinned, purple haired, purple eyed, with piercings and makeup – to the lightly tanned black-haired boy with amber eyes in the portrait. They studied it and slowly found the similarities in bone structure.

"The one outside your office," Mammon broke in. "The Ruins of Hogwarts. Odd place to put it."

Holly tilted her head, fingers stilling in Skull's hair. There was a contemplative silence, then the black-haired woman pointed to the portrait above the mantle. "That reminds me of why I am the Minister." She pointed through the open door to the portrait of a ruined castle. "That is to remind of what will happen if I fail."

A somber silence took over the room, but didn't last long as Collonello threw his hands up.

"I don't get it, kora! You've been harmonized with your mother this whole time?" he half-demanded, exasperation clear in his voice.

Skull gave the Rain a look that silently questioned his intelligence. "Who better to accept me and all that I am than my mother? She changed my diapers for God's sake and still loves me."

Skull's answer made a startling amount of sense, the ' _duh'_ tone of his voice making Fon cover a soft laugh.

The last of the lingering tension disappeared, the warmth of a happy Sky embracing those in the room as Holly grinned, pressing a kiss to the top of Skull's head.

[~][~][~]

* * *

I hope you enjoyed this new chapter!

-D.


	7. Breakfast at Tsuna's, Part II

**Breakfast at Tsuna's, Part II**

 **Author's Notes:** AHA! The continuation everyone has been requesting. For some reason, I really struggled wrapping this one up.

Thank you so much for all of your reviews, everyone! They make my day, leaving me all happy and flustered and smiling like a goof.

* * *

[~][~][~]

When Tsuna and the Arcobaleno could only stare after the revelation of Holly's identity, Nana had taken over, chastising Tsuna for his lack of manners – "Tsu-kun, you don't leave guests standing on the doorstep!" – as she shooed the bewildered group away from the door. Then she'd turned to the younger-looking woman who still stood unsurely in the doorway and smiled brightly.

"Ara, you're Skull-chan's mother? He never said you were so pretty! Then, he's never said much about you at all," Nana said, smile fading into a pout at the lack of information.

Meeting the parents of any of her Tsu-kun's friends was surprisingly rare, mothers even more so! She wished she'd known that Skull's mother was still alive; Nana would have appreciated having someone else around that understood the worry she felt over her son and all of his friends. It was true that fathers worried over their children just as much, but they did it so _differently_ from a mother that even speaking with Iemitsu or Tsuyoshi just hadn't reassured her like another mother could.

Holly smiled, the expression filled with exasperated amusement as she explained. "Skull has always been protective over me, sometimes overly so. He doesn't like telling others about me, or telling me much about what he gets into."

The two women, the two _mothers_ , shared a commiserating look that quickly turned into quiet laughter at the understanding they could read in the others expression.

"Please, come inside," Nana grinned.

.

Something in Skull had changed as he'd picked himself up from the floor, like a mask they'd been unaware of before now was peeled away as he stood until there was someone unrecognizable in his place. He hadn't yelled, hadn't flailed, hadn't even referred to himself in the third person; he'd only moved over to where his mother was talking with Nana as she pulled off her boots to reveal mismatched socks.

(Flashes of memory popped into the heads of the Arcobaleno: all the times that Lal, so rigidly military, and Reborn, a strong believer in being Well-Dressed, had berated the violet-haired teen each time he'd removed his motorcycle boots to reveal his own, often garishly, mismatched socks until Skull eventually stopped taking his shoes off at all. The habit that had seemed childish and annoying then was now suddenly almost endearing, the habit clearly passed down from mother to son.)

Skull reached out to help his mother out of her coat and grimaced when she resisted, instead giving him a quizzical look with hurt still lingering in her eyes. He shrugged sheepishly, never looking away from his mother's eyes even though all of his body language screamed embarrassed. The hurt bled from her eyes, warm affection taking its place as she let Skull take her coat, though she held onto the small, well-worn leather satchel that had gone previously unnoticed.

After Skull turned back from hanging up her coat, the Cloud was quick to sweep his mother into a tight hug. Laughter bubbled out of the woman as she returned the embrace, arms tight around her son's waist.

"You didn't really think I'd miss this, did you?" she asked, voice muffled where her head was pressed into Skull's torso.

"A kid can dream," Skull replied easily, though the tightening of his arms around his mum's shoulders and the way he rested his chin on her head spoke otherwise. Skull had clearly missed her and was, in spite of his protests, glad she'd shown up.

Beside them, hands clasped beneath her chin, Nana beamed at the pair.

.

'Territorial' and 'protective' weren't words that popped up often when describing Skull. 'Coward,' 'Weak,' 'Lackey,' 'Useless,' and all the variations thereof were much more common adjectives for the Cloud. But, watching the way Skull hovered around the black-haired woman – Holly, _his mother_ , they still couldn't believe it – the Arcobaleno and Tenth Generation couldn't find any other words to describe his actions.

Mother and son had long since moved from the doorway to settle in the living room with the others as they waited for breakfast to be ready, though any attempt by the Arcobaleno to converse with Holly was thwarted by Skull himself. At any sign of approach or attempted conversation by the Arcobaleno, Skull would suddenly launch a barrage of questions at his mother, asking about people and places the others had never heard of or known about.

' _How is Aunt Luna? Uncle Ron? How many children does Uncle Bill have now? What's going on at the Burrow? What's the Ministry up to?'_

If Skull wasn't distracting his mother – who played along with Skull's demands on her attention amicably enough – then it was Nana who was speaking with her, and Tsuna's mother looked so happy to have another mother around to speak with that no one – Arcobaleno or Tenth Generation – had the heart to interrupt them.

That didn't stop them from lurking nearby, though.

Especially when Nana, _bless her soul_ , started sharing stories of Tsuna as a child, even whipping out a picture of the Decimo as a baby and sharing it eagerly with Holly, who was happy to reciprocate.

When Holly mentioned having one of Skull as a baby and began digging through her satchel, the Arcobaleno gave up all attempts at subtlety and crowded closer.

And that was when the front door was kicked in.

.

Between his training in COMSUBIN and his time in the Mafia, Collonello had gotten used to assessing and labeling each and every person he came in contact with within the first thirty seconds of them meeting. The habit had saved his ass more times than he could count and because of his success with it more often than not, Collonello tended to hold his first impressions as truth. More detail might be added later on as he learned more about a person, but generally, the core of his opinion remained true to that initial assessment.

His first impression of Skull's mother was 'pretty, civilian, non-threat, though the fact she only looked a few years older than her son was weird as hell' and he had believed it would remain true throughout his acquaintance with the Cloud's mother.

Right up until ten seconds ago, anyway.

The Vongola and the Arcobaleno were familiar with the Varia and its Boss' dramatic, often violent, entrances.

Skull's mother was not.

And Skull's mother had not reacted like a civilian would.

Where they would be startled by the sudden, loud noise and would likely peer around like a meerkat searching for the source, Holly Potter's first reaction had been to curl herself into a smaller target even as she moved the chair to act as a shield, blocking Nana from sight of the door.

Green eyes that had been so warm with affection and happiness seconds previously had darkened and hardened, assessing everything around her. Posture that had been languid, open and welcoming before had flowed into the loose-limbed preparedness of one who was ready to move as needed, whether offensively or defensively. Her face, which had been smiling just seconds before, had closed off into a blank visage that fit a soldier more than a civilian.

But just as quickly as those changes appeared, they'd faded away as she registered that the group in the doorway weren't a threat in the conventional sense.

Tsuna's reprimands/complaints echoed through the room and Holly settled unobtrusively back into the mask of a harmless civilian.

Collonello relabeled her in his mind.

'Pretty, not-quite civilian, potential threat, youthful appearance still weird as well.'

It had all happened in less than fifteen seconds.

.

He was forced to amend his label again within five minutes.

.

The Varia noticed her within moments. She was a stranger, one they'd never met or even heard of before, and despite being elite assassins and having all of the information they needed to make a deduction as to _why_ she was here and _who_ _for_ , there was a difference between knowing and _knowing_.

And then, as if the morning hadn't been odd enough as it was, Holly recognized one of them.

She stood from her chair and curtsied, the action surprisingly elegant despite her lack of a skirt. "Your Royal Highness."

"Ushishishi, Lady Potter," Belphegor returned, voice almost polite.

(At this point, several minds imploded. Skull's mother not only knew the Varia Storm Officer on sight, but he returned the recognition, _he knew her name_.)

"The Prince wonders what has brought you here to an exclusive Mafia meal. It's rare you leave the castle this time of year," he added, leisurely approaching where Holly stood.

Her lips curved into a smile. "My son, sir," she answered easily, gesturing to the purple-haired teen that stood at her side. As Belphegor's attention swung to him, Skull dipped his head respectfully in greeting, the action so seamless, it seemed second nature to Skull.

"The peasant has risen in the Prince's esteem. His ability to fool us is a credit to his mother."

Before anything else could be said, Tsuna called them to breakfast.

With a resigned air, Skull watched as Prince the Ripper, escorted his mother to the dining room. He ignored the Arcobaleno lingering around him, though Mammon was difficult to ignore when the Illusionist sidled up to him with a greedy aura.

"Skull, can you get me her autograph? Or do you think I would get more if I auctioned off the napkin she uses at breakfast?"

[~][~][~]

* * *

It's said that Bel can't reveal his nationality without wreaking havoc in the UN and other nations, and thus he also hides his eyes. I'm convinced he's the Prince of a magical nation, and that he potentially (depending on how I fudge up timelines and ages) grew up hearing stories of Holly Potter, her fighting/military prowess, and the things she's done for the Magical community. I can't help but laugh as I imagine Chibi!Bel and Chibi!Rasiel getting into fights over which story they want to hear, or just over something to do with Holly.

(Didn't Umei no Mai make him Prince of Magical Prussia or something in Black Sky? I can't remember. D: )

Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed!

-D.


	8. The Power of a Name

**The Power of a Name**

 **Summary** : In which Holly demonstrates that no matter the distance, a mother always knows when her son calls for her.

 **Author's** **Notes** : This chapter was inspired by **Sorugao-BandGeek's** suggestion/request and the chapter ' _Knowing'_ from **wolfsrainrule's** story  Flicker. I loved the idea of the way Skull was treated being just an act, but rather than include all the Arcobaleno, I focused on just Reborn.

* * *

[~][~][~]

To the world, and even to the Arcobaleno, Reborn and Skull had a simple relationship.

Reborn was the Leader and Skull his Underling, to the point of the Hitman almost exclusively addressing Skull as 'Lackey' rather than by name. Their interactions only underlined the master-servant relationship.

The world and even the Arcobaleno were wrong.

If asked, Reborn and Skull would both agree that their relationship was rather complicated. It was, in fact, one of the few things they could agree on right away.

.

From the moment he had met Skull at the first gathering of the Strongest Seven, something about the purple-haired Stuntman had set Reborn's nerves on edge, made the Hitman's hair metaphorically stand on end.

Being around Skull de Mort made Reborn feel like a cat being petted the wrong way, and _he did not appreciate the feeling,_ thank you very much.

But he ignored it; he passed the feeling off as annoyance, as irritation. He told himself that it was because Skull was a civilian with no connections to the Mafia, no control of the Cloud flames that practically leaked from his lanky frame, and no real skills that would be useful to the group.

He had never been a fan of lying to himself, but he did it anyway. What was worse was that he believed the lies he told himself, let himself ignore the feeling for what it really was, let himself fall for Skull's act.

A part of Reborn (his pride, he thinks) burned at the thought that, if not for a single slip up, Reborn would have fallen for Skull's act, would have _continued_ to fall for it.

Because the truth was that there was more than meets the eye when it came to the Cloud Arcobaleno.

.

Reborn had not always been Reborn. Before _That Day_ , he had another name.

As a child, his name had been used as both endearment and chastisement from his mother, as both greeting and insult from the people in his hometown. As a man, his name was whispered in both awe and fear by men and women alike.

He had taken the name he'd been given at birth and made it into something to be feared, something that made grown men tremble at the mere mention.

It was that name that had netted him the invitation to become one of the Strongest Seven, that had led him to Luce, the closet he would likely ever come to Harmonizing, had led him to the group of people that would, slowly and inexorably through shared suffering, become his family.

And it was that name that had led him to being Cursed to an infant's form till the day he died.

After the Fated Day, after Luce led them like lambs to the slaughter, after the Curse took hold, it was the name he could no longer use, could no longer stand to bear. He wasn't that man any longer.

He was Reborn.

.

Of them all, Skull was the one who most easily accepted Reborn's change of name.

The others took some time (and a hefty payment on Viper's part) before they would use his new name as easily as they'd once used the old one, before they would stop stumbling over it and have to correct themselves.

Skull had no such problem.

When Reborn had announced the change (that is: in a bout of rage, swore off ever using his birth name so long as he was Cursed) Skull had simply nodded and began calling him 'Reborn-senpai' with no issue. And when the Sun Arcobaleno had cornered him one night, demanding to know why Skull had agreed so easily and how he managed the change so well when even Fon had protested the change and struggled still, his name and form were no longer the only things changed.

Skull's eyes held deep understanding and sympathy, the kind that came from experience. When he spoke, he did so quietly. "Names have power all their own. You've chosen your name; who am I to call you something than what you've chose?"

In a flash of insight, the kind of leap-of-faith logic that had helped him become the Greatest Hitman in the World, Reborn understood: Skull de Mort had not always been Skull de Mort. It was a name he had chosen for himself, a name that had gained power of its own until whoever Skull was before, he wasn't now, might never be again.

Skull understood the need to become someone new, to shed an old name like a snake shed its skin. And Skull would not place the limits of who Reborn was in the past on the person he was now.

.

(From the moment he had met Skull at the first gathering of the Strongest Seven, something inside the Hitman – a gut feeling, a sixth sense, instinct, call it what you will – had looked at the loud and clumsy uselessness, and knew it for what it was: a mask.

Some part of Reborn, the part that had made him such an excellent hitman, had looked at the blustering teen and recognized itself.

No matter how well he hid it beneath his harmless façade, no matter how deeply he buried it, Reborn looked at Skull and knew he was dangerous.

He had looked at Skull and saw himself reflected back.)

.

This realization of Skull's understanding did not ease their relationship. If anything, it only made Reborn more violent because now he _knew_ there was more to the violet-haired teen than what he showed the world, and Reborn had always been the nosy, controlling sort.

He liked knowing everything he could about those he surrounded himself with, not just for manipulation purposes, but because how could he properly care for something (someone) if he didn't know everything he could? What if he didn't know a single key piece of information and that lack of knowledge was the catalyst for disaster?

Reborn continued to taunt and physically push around the Cloud Arcobaleno, but his words were never aimed for Skull's true weak spots and his hits were never hard enough to injure, only sting.

And when the loss of his name became too painful, when the burden of the Curse became too heavy, when _everything_ became _too much_ , the Cloud hid the Sun away and in Skull, Reborn found not so much a friend as a kindred spirit.

(Perhaps even family.)

.

Reborn learned about Skull in increments. Not by choice, either, but because he had to. Skull, damn him, was remarkably good at maintaining his mask so gathering _true_ information on him was like being on a scavenger hunt, with every little tidbit leading him one step closer to the prize: getting to know his (he'll never admit it, not even on pain of death) best friend.

.

His clumsiness was not as much of an act as Reborn had first thought.

.

Skull was unnaturally good at reconnaissance.

.

He craved steak once a month, cooked on the rarer end of the spectrum.

.

He could barely tolerate sweets, insisting they were too sugary and 'bad for his teeth.'

Despite this, he had a not-so-secret love for chocolate bars, which he never sat down and ate in one sitting. Rather, he would tuck himself away where he would be left alone, break off a single piece and savor it. A single chocolate bar could easily last him a month.

.

His favorite food was homemade shepherd's pie.

.

He really did enjoy pranking people, saying it was 'in his blood.'

.

He was an only child, but had 'a large amount of cousins.'

.

He was the eldest of his cousins, having been born a full seven years before the next one.

.

His childhood had not been an easy one, despite his mother's attempts to the contrary.

.

His love for chocolate was easily beaten by his love for his mother, and Skull felt no shame at admitting he was a mama's boy.

.

Skull was adopted.

The mother he loved with a depth unparalleled was not the one who'd given birth to him, but was originally his godmother. She had taken him in as her own after the death of his birth parents; had chosen him and given him a home and a family again, had made him whole.

.

(Reborn wondered if there wasn't more to the bond than just that of mother and son. Skull had never felt the same level of betrayal from Luce as the rest of them had...)

.

Skull missed his mother terribly. He hadn't seen her in years. Two decades, in fact.

"Not since the curse," he had smiled bitterly, and for the first time, Reborn could see the rage Skull had hidden away, the hurt, the longing.

.

(Reborn heard what went unsaid, hidden beneath the truthful admission.

Skull wanted to go _home_.

Reborn doubted if he could.)

.

One of the most important things Reborn learned was that _Skull's mother still lived_.

And Skull was protective of her, so very protective, that no matter how much he trusted Reborn, he would not tell him his mother's name. Not yet.

"Names have power," Skull insisted, his words and tone echoing back to that night so long ago when a single moment of understanding had destroyed Reborn's assumptions.

.

Thirty-three years after the Fated Day, after Luce led them like lambs to the slaughter, after the Curse took hold, Reborn felt the chains that had bound him to his pacifier, to his position as Sun Arcobaleno, fall away.

Tsuna had done it, had freed them all.

.

To the surprise of many, when they went to visit Skull in the hospital, they found Reborn already there and completely ignoring (or perhaps toleranting) the tears that fell from the Cloud's purple eyes and soaked into his hair and pillow.

.

Two months later, Reborn stepped out of the house the Arcobaleno had rented to recover in and into the fading light of the day.

He was considering taking a walk, recently finding the simple action of one foot in front of the other a surprising challenge. Who'd have thought that growing from toddler size to a fully adult form in less than two months would wreak such havoc on his coordination?

His plans changed when he found Skull sitting on the front steps as he stared up at the sky.

With an annoying lack of grace, Reborn sat down by the violet-haired teen, folding into himself and scowling when he nearly elbowed Skull in the head. He said nothing, though, only sat and waited out Skull's silence.

Then, Skull lowered his eyes from the heavens and peered at Reborn, seemingly searching for an answer to a question that only he knew.

"Would you like to see the power of a name?" Skull asked, and though the words were sudden, Reborn felt as if he'd been waiting on them for ages, had been expecting them, so he nodded.

Skull's lips curled up in a smile, his purple eyes blazed with hope, with excitement, with so many emotions mixed together, the Hitman was hard-pressed to pick out and name them all.

"Hollis Jamille Potter."

.

Within seconds, there was a 'pop' of softly displaced air and on the pathway up to the house stood a woman.

She was short, barely managing a few inches past five foot, with pale skin and midnight hair that had long since started falling out of the messy knot she'd pulled it into. She wore a pair of plaid pajama pants, a large t-shirt bearing an advertisement for broomsticks of all things, a long black cardigan, and no shoes.

As Skull stood from his seat on the steps, the woman trembled and took a deep breath, releasing it in a rush of giddy-hysterical-breathless laughter.

"I was wondering when you'd call," she tried to smile, but the expression twisted into one of mingled joy and grief and tears started pouring from emerald eyes, darkened with emotion.

Skull wore a smile that was part blinding happiness, part utter relief as he stumbled down the few steps to the pathway. "Hey, Mum," he said almost sheepishly, voice cracking slightly on the second word.

Reborn's eyebrows disappeared into his hairline at proof that this really was who he'd thought.

"Oh, my Teddy-bear," she sobbed, throwing herself across the few feet of distance between her and Skull and wrapping his taller form in a tight hug.

Reborn tilted his fedora forward, shielding his eyes and giving the pair as much privacy as could be afforded without him leaving.

Clearly, Skull got his ability to create nothing but an endless amount of questions from his mother.

.

"Just call me Holly," the Cloud's mother instructed happily a few minutes later as she stood with one arm around Skull's waist, the mother-and-son pair wearing matching crooked grins.

Her eyes were puffy, her nose was red, there were still tear tracks on her cheeks, and she fairly glowed with happiness.

She was, quite possibly, one of the most endearing women he'd ever seen.

(And not just because of the Sky flames pouring off of her.)

His glee must've shown on his face because the next thing he knew, Skull had narrowed his eyes and pointed an accusing finger at Reborn's torso.

"Don't even think about flirting with my mother."

"Too late."

The sound of wild, elfin laughter burst from Holly, her unreserved delight melting the glare from her son's face in seconds and, if the sound of the front door opening was any indication, drawing the other Arcobaleno from the house.

Reborn was utterly charmed.

[~][~][~]

* * *

This was a bit of a different take on my usual Skull-Reborn-Holly interactions, and I'm actually quite fond of it.

A new chapter in celebration of me being (mostly) recovered from what was probably the longest cold of my life. It started at the beginning of the month and I was in denial for three days, insisting it was just really bad allergies until I couldn't lie to myself anymore. But I seem to be mostly past it (at any rate, I am now closer to human than snot monster...) and I managed to get out the sequel to Breakfast at Tsuna's and this new chapter between blowing my nose, coughing myself mute, and playing some of the new expansion on World of Warcraft. You can't see it, but I'm doing a heroic pose right now.

Thank you so much for reading, and for all of your reviews!

-D.


	9. It's A Small World After All

**It's A Small World After All**

 **Summary** : In which Reborn and Skull learn that there is some weight behind that six degrees of separation mumbo-jumbo after all.

 **Author's** **Notes** : For all the Reborn/Holly shippers who requested this scenario in a review and for all the ones who didn't but still wanted to see it.

[~][~][~]

'Safety' and 'stability' were not words synonymous with war. Despite this, during the seven long years of warfare, Holly had done her best to give Teddy and the other children in the castle a sense of safety through the use of routines.

A schedule helped give them the illusion that while things weren't perfect, they were safe in Hogwarts, safe under the protection of the Castle and Holly herself, that things were _okay_.

It was the little things, Holly discovered, that helped the inhabitants of the Castle keep it together during the War.

She ensured meals were at the same time each day, that the children's days were filled with lessons and play and – she grimaced even know thinking of it – self-defense lessons. Every Thursday, they had vegetable soup for dinner. Sunday breakfast was as indulgent as it could be during a war, often featuring rich pastries and waffles with fruit. Saturday nights, from six to eight, all the children gathered in Firenze's old divination classroom and whatever adults were free at the time used their magic to help tell the story of the week.

The midnight gatherings at the Wall, where adults and older teenagers, watched in silence as Holly carefully, painstakingly, carved the names of the fallen into the stone. Her presence in the chair that had once belonged to the Headmaster at each meal she was in the Castle for; the late nights going over stores and budgets and plans. All the times she'd stopped what she was doing to listen to whoever came to her, needing a word of reassurance, a shoulder to cry on, a quick embrace.

Little traditions that were started to keep hope alive in a time when they weren't sure it was possible.

.

(Little traditions that lasted even after the War was over, not that they were recognizable by those who hadn't been in the castle during it.

Skull craved vegetable soup on Thursdays. Sunday mornings, he always ate a waffle with sliced strawberries and a dollop of whipped cream. Despite the constant insults of 'stupid' and 'lazy' and 'useless' flung his way by the other Arcobaleno, Skull kept his days full of things to do, even if it was only practicing stunts.

Some things simply couldn't be forgotten.)

.

After the War, Holly started a new tradition.

Each year on Teddy's birthday, they would drag out maps of the World and name off places they wanted to visit. In the weeks leading up to summer, they would whittle down the list until they had a single destination in mind, sometimes as specific as a single city in a country and sometimes as vague as a region. Then, three weeks before Holly's birthday, they were packed and off on an adventure to see a part of the world they had never experienced before.

Nothing stopped these summer trips of mother-son bonding.

Not even the time Teddy got Dragon Pox, or the time Holly broke her right arm and had to have the bones regrown a second time.

Not even when an obscure curse locked her son in the form of a purple-haired, purple-eyed infant. Their annual trip continued throughout the Curse and even after it was eventually broken.

.

They met in France.

He was there on a self-given job; she, on vacation.

He was intrigued. She was curious.

(And Skull, in the middle of doing the "sudden-and-urgent" recon mission for the Vongola that had delayed him in meeting up with his mother for their annual trip, felt a shiver of dread race down his spine.)

.

At Teddy's insistence that she start the vacation without him and "enjoy herself," Holly had ventured from the Delacour beach house ("always available for her to use") to the small town that was a fifteen-minute walk away. It was a charming place, a blend of old-world and modern-day that worked surprisingly well.

She'd been walking for over an hour before she ducked into the closest coffee shop for a cold drink and bumped into a man in a fedora.

He was… Charming. But his charm wasn't what made her agree to sit and have a cup of coffee with him when he asked.

Something about him was familiar, something about him called to her, radiating a sense of warmth, of energy to grow, just like her son felt like cool condensation, like the relief of standing in the shade on a hot day.

.

(It was the Sky flames that first caught his attention.

He'd been in the middle of his first espresso in the tiny town that he'd found a train ticket to in the Lackey's room when a Pure and Powerful flame had quite literally popped into existence at the edge of town.

He traced the leisurely path of the walking bundle of Harmony through the town, his own Flames keeping track of the proximity between himself and the Sky and practically squirming when the distance between them only continued to shrink.

The closer the Sky got, the more he learned from the teasing brushes of her Flames against his own.

She was a Sky, teetering at the edge of Active with her single Guardian bond slowly but inexorably tugging her closer and closer to going over. She'd had previous bonds, not actual Guardian ones, but bonds between herself and others that were formed under life-threatening situations. She was all-encompassing, accepting and welcoming all into her influence; she was a home, ready to comfort and encourage and love, but she was also a fortress, ready to protect and defend and do so at all costs.

And she was powerful enough to match the strength of his Flames, perhaps even more powerful than he.

Well… He couldn't not meet her now.)

.

In the days that followed, Holly was often – always – found in the company of Reborn, the dark-haired man accompanying her on her adventures in and around the town.

It became routine.

Each morning, they met at the coffee shop for breakfast. He drank his Espresso, she drank her tea.

Lunch was sandwiches or wraps, usually bought from a nearby shop. They both tossed the complimentary pickle that came with it.

Dinner was homemade, the pair of them returning the Delacour beach house and cooking together.

They talked often, exchanging bits and pieces of themselves in a kind of mutual courtship. They both kept secrets – Omerta and the Statue of Secrecy saw to that -, but they both shared more of themselves than either thought they would ever do so.

He told her of his two students, boys who'd become men worthy of praise under his tutelage and the pride he felt at having a hand in making them who they were, not that he would ever tell either of them that.

She told him of the boy who was once her godson but became just her son after the death of his birth parents, of how they'd been the glue keeping each other together when he was young, and how their bond had never quite faded; she told him of his diligence, his protectiveness, of his eagerness to learn and his creative problem solving, of his endurance under stress.

And she told him that her son would be there soon, finally free of the business that had help him up.

He asked if he could meet him, said that he wanted to meet the boy that she had raised because surely he was as amazing as his mother.

.

They'd agreed to meet at the coffee shop where Reborn and Holly had first run into each other.

Reborn had arrived first and leaned up against the wall of the building as he waited. He admitted, at least to himself, that a part of him was nervous. He and Holly had essentially been courting each other all week, testing each other's flames and beliefs and resolve all week; already, he could feel a fledgling Guardian Bond forming and he had a feeling that this meeting between himself and her son – her Guardian? – would play a major part in whether that bond that already felt so much like home would grow or break.

He straightened as he felt Holly's flames approaching, accompanied by another presence that felt familiar but also felt somehow _off_. He looked in the direction of the approaching pair, spying Holly's petite form arm in arm with a familiar tall and lanky silhouette.

His eye twitched when he saw the purple hair.

"Lackey," he said in a flat tone.

"Reborn!?" Skull exclaimed back.

"You two know each other already? That's great!" Holly beamed. "I'll go get us a table!"

The woman bounced off, something about the energetic way she did so screaming mischief, leaving behind the two former infants, staring at one another.

The tense silence was finally broken when they spoke at the same time.

"You're dating my mother?"

"You're her son?"

[~][~][~]

Gah! I didn't mean to go so long without posting anything. D: Life bashed me over the back of the head and demanded I be an adult, so I've been super busy with work lately. I should've been to bed hours ago, but I decided to stay up and crank this out so you guys would have _something_ to read. I'm not completely satisfied with it; it feels rushed and I feel like I half-assed the ending, but that's what I get for writing while sleep-drunk, I suppose.

On a vaguely related note, I've lately been horribly tempted to write a Fem!Arcobaleno!Harry that potentially goes reverse harem. I'm not sure yet, but I've been fiddling around with the idea of an unrelated Harry who becomes the Sky Arcobaleno. Opinions?

And before I go, _**Thank You**_. To everyone who has ever read, reviewed, put this story on their favorites or alert lists. Just, seriously, thank you. I can't believe how well-received and (dare I say?) popular this story has become. I want you to know that I read all the reviews, even though I haven't replied to any lately. I read and re-read them and they always make me smile and give me ideas and just make me feel so much better. Life is tough, not just because it's forcing me to adult, but because some days are just difficult to wake up and get through; reading your reviews, seeing the amount of views, the number of favorites and alerts and communities this story is in... They all make it so much better and a bit easier to do.

Thank you again. See you again soon.

-D.


	10. Cloudy with a Chance of Destruction

**Cloudy with a Chance of Destruction**

 **Summary** : They'd seen hints of the Cloud mentality before; they just hadn't expected this.

 **Author's** **Notes** : For **wolfsrainrules**. I'm not quite sure this was the whole "Soldier!CloudRage!Skull" you were thinking of, but perhaps it's getting there?

* * *

[~][~][~]

It hadn't taken long for the Arcobaleno to realize that, despite Skull's tendency to be a loud, graceless braggart, there was something _more_ to him, something that proved that his soul resonating with the Cloud element was not a fluke.

There were hints of it, flickers of the Truth that broke through the mask when things were _Serious_ and then faded as soon as they were no longer needed. Only hints, though.

.

(Like the time that, in the middle of a mission, Lal had been alone, outnumbered, and on the verge of losing – losing so much more than just her life because the scum they'd been sent to wipe out were not the type to offer a quick death - when Skull had literally dropped from the ceiling and onto the back of the man who had her pinned, and with the kind of quick, efficient movements that came only with successful use, reached out and snapped the man's neck.

He'd killed three more before she came to her senses, shoved the body off her and shot the two men going for Skull's open back while he dealt with the Mist that had thrown her so off-kilter that she'd been overwhelmed.

"Don't leave your back undefended, you maggot!" she'd barked suddenly, needing to break the silence that'd dragged on, needing something, _anything_ , to make Skull stop looking at her like that.

"It wasn't," he replied easily, and the trust in those two simple words, the easy confidence that she'd had his back, had her head shooting up to look at him –

But Skull was already gone, back to the other side of the compound where she remembered he'd been placed so he 'would be out of the way and not screw anything up.')

.

It was the little things.

The way Skull would swoop in, eyes sharp and body tensed to defend, if one of them was injured in a fight; the way he hovered afterwards until whatever injury was taken care of and no longer an issue. The way he made sure there was always something to eat, be it homemade or take out; the way the First Aid kit was always neat and well-stocked. The way there was always espresso beans, oolong tea leaves, and strawberry milk in the kitchen.

All the little things that gave away that Skull did have a Cloud's mentality, but that his territory was people, his territory was _them_ , and he protected and cared for them from a distance, doing all of these things and never saying a word about it.

.

By the time they got to see and experience Skull in a true Cloud Rage, they were not surprised that it was possible and that it was happening, but they hadn't expected to see just how deeply the Cloud mentality ran. It was strange to realize that even with all the little glimpses they'd had through the years, the Truth had still been so far out of sight.

.

The day had been off from the start.

Skull, who was an adequate cook on any given day, burnt the toast and over-salted the eggs. When Reborn had threatened him for it, the Cloud had nodded distractedly and then placed Fon's tea in front of him.

It hadn't gotten any better from there.

Any other day, Skull could be found by following the noise he created, be it cooking, running from Reborn, or in the garage working on his bike. Today, however, he settled in the chair in the corner of the living room, the one angled for the best view out the front window. He sat there, brow furrowed as he stared into the distance, silent and still.

They were not Elements in the same Sky; once, before the Curse, some of them had come close to Harmonizing with Luce, as close as they could considering she'd already had a full set of Guardians, but the bonds had never completed, parts of them had always been held back. But through the years, through the Curse, the burden of shared suffering, of having a sense of each other for three decades no matter where they were in the world, they had been able to form bonds with each other. They were as close to Harmony with each other as they could be without a Sky.

And that kind of soul-deep understanding with each other made it easy to tell that something was off with their Cloud, that despite his Physical stillness, he was upset, he was restless. His instincts were insisting that _Something Was Wrong_ , but he couldn't narrow it down, couldn't act on it, so was forced to sit and wallow in agitation.

The agitation leaked to Fon, the Storm practically vibrating where he'd sat in a meditation pose near Skull. From Fon to both Rains, Lal and Collonello standing at attention at the other entrance to the living room. With Rain came Lightning, Verde sitting in a corner, idly tinkering with the bits of a new invention. Reborn took a seat at one end of the couch; with his suit jacket lying across the back of the couch behind him, his fedora tilted back, and shirt sleeves rolled up, the Hitman became to meticulously clean his guns, one eye always on the Cloud that sat so still in the corner. Mammon appeared without a word, perched at the other end of the couch, wisps of Mist flames curling from their form.

The only interruption in their vigil came when a message from Yuni, who was at the Giglio Nero home dealing with Family business for the day, pinged on their phones.

' _Go with him.'_

.

Just before dusk, as the sun began to sink beneath the horizon, something in the distance caught Skull's attention through the window. The Cloud straightened in his seat, gloved hands clenching at the arms of the chair, as a glowing silvery orb rocketed through the glass of the window and slammed into the floor before Skull.

Pearlescent wisps formed into the shape of a hare, and if it wasn't already strange enough, the image spoke, the voice British, female, and clipped, but with a wistful edge, as if the speaker was permanently daydreaming.

"The Sky is missing. Be careful."

A tsunami of Cloud flames washed over them, feeling of rage and desperation, as Skull stood slowly, quietly, from his seat, violet eyes glowing eerily.

"I'll get the car," Colonello said, striding off as Lal went to hallway and grabbed their weapons. Fon rose gracefully from his seat on the floor, hands tucked into his sleeves; Viper stood from the couch; Verde tucked his latest gadget in a pocket of his lab coat and adjusted his glasses.

Reborn shrugged on his jacket. "Let's go, Lackey. You'll explain along the way."

.

They drove to the airport and got on the private jet Reborn had borrowed from the Vongola, their destination England. Along the way, Skull explained, voice quiet and controlled, which made the roiling Cloud flames he barely managed to contain somehow more frightening.

He had Harmonized, had found his Sky before the Curse, before he even really knew what Dying Will Flames were. He was still Harmonized, even if he was so often away from his Sky, only returning home once or twice a year.

And all day, he'd felt something off in the bond, something _wrong_. He hadn't wanted to be right, hadn't wanted it to be true, because his Sky always found trouble so easily and if the bond felt off than that meant that something was off for his Sky.

Until the message, the Patronus, which led to him explaining that before Skull de Mort, the Cloud Arcobaleno, he had another name and other powers – Magic – and that his Sky was the same, capable of using both Magic and Dying Will Flame.

The quiet gasp from Viper and the way Skull glanced at them, as if telling the Mist to be quiet, went unexplained though.

.

They landed in London in the middle of the night, following Skull as he led them unerringly from Central London to what seems to be an empty field a few counties north. They shift unsurely, exchanging glances, wondering if they're going to have to watch their Cloud self-destruct if (when?) they find only the body of his Sky.

And then Skull turned to Fon, grabbed the Storm's hand, and placed it on an invisible barrier that made the Storm Arcobaleno want to turn away, made a part of his mind insist that he has somewhere to be other than right here, helping Skull.

"Destroy it," the violet-haired teenager ordered, voice clipped and harsh, the kind of tone they were used to hearing from Lal or Colonello, one that it expected its orders followed now.

The man nodded and Storm Flames rushed through him, through his hands and into the barrier, which lit up crimson as it fought against its own destruction. The clear clue of Rain flames swirled in, Lal and Colonello weakening the barrier with Tranquility, weakening its ability to fight back.

Then, at their backs, Skull's Cloud flames surged to unprecedented levels, washing over them, into them, propagating the abilities of their own flames until the barrier had no choice but to break, to disintegrate.

Skull strode forward, violet eyes glowing once more as he focused on the house that faded into existence before them; but, there was something odd. His pupils had become slits.

"Oi," Reborn said sharply, cutting off when Viper shook her head.

"Don't. He has more than just Cloud rage going for him right now," the Illusionist instructed, the Indigo of her flames twisting around them until they were invisible to all but each other.

.

(Truthfully, the Arcobaleno can only watch as Skull tears through the defenses of those who've taken his Sky with clinical ease. Any of the magicals who appear on the lawn to oppose him are cut down, the Cloud barely even stopping in his stride.

They have seen hints of it, glimpses of the Truth through the years they've known Skull.

Now, they see the Truth in its entirety.

They watch as their Cloud, who barely even needed them to destroy the barrier, walks straight up to the front door. And kicks it in.

And as Sky flames – pure, powerful, angry, relieved Sky flames – swell in response to Skull's appearance, his own flames soaring even higher, they know.

Skull has never fully shown his true self to them, has always pretended to be less than what he is.

Dangerous. )

.

By the time they strolled leisurely into the remains of the mansion, the fight was long since finished.

Skull stood in the middle of the demolished room, lanky frame wrapped around the petite form of a black-haired teenage girl in an embrace that is both exasperated and relieved.

"—thought you said you were done with the self-sacrificing part of saving people," Skull said, the words just reaching them as they walked closer.

"They said they had you and your friends," the girl replied, voice slightly muffled with the way she was still pressed to Skull's frame.

"And you thought 'Oh, I should just go with them without checking on the bond or phoning him or anything!'" the Cloud retorted.

"Oh, don't act like you haven't done anything stupid before in your life, Mr. Disintegrate-the-barrier-and-stroll-through-the-front-door, I thought you learned something from all those war councils you snuck into," the Sky shot back, affection flooding her flames beneath the flustered annoyance she spoke with.

"It was a perfectly good plan!"

"The kind of plan a Gryffindor would do –"

"Then you should approve of it wholeheartedly, you – "

"—and I taught you better than that –"

"—being the type to lead by example and all –"

"Don't think I can't still put you over my knee!"

"Skull?" Fon ventured, almost hesitant to interrupt the fond bickering the pair were engaged in. The pair both turned to look at him, matching expressions of exasperated fondness on their faces. They ended their hug and turned to face the Arcobaleno, though Skull's arm remained around the girl's shoulders and her arm remained around his waist.

"Girlfriend, Lackey?" Reborn questioned dryly.

Fon could only watch in fascination as matching expressions of disgust twisted their faces.

"Gross. This is Holly, she's my mother," the Cloud explained with a grimace, though he didn't so much as move away a single inch.

They blinked, looking at the short woman who barely looked older than Skull. Pale, smooth skin; messy black hair that fell around her shoulders; bright, unnaturally bright, green eyes that had the slightest hint of Sky Amber lingering at the edges behind a pair of cat eyed frames.

"I call bullshit, kora."

Holly snorted.

[~][~][~]

* * *

Aha! Another chapter! And so relatively soon! (Yes, I am once more doing a heroic pose.) My work schedule should be slowing down before too long, so I hope to be able to write more often soon. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

See you soon~

-D.


	11. The Strongest Seven Gather

**The Strongest Seven Gather**

 **Summary** : The Sky Arcobaleno was not Luce as speculated, but an unknown woman named Holly who looks too young to be there.

 **Author's** **Notes** : Kawahira demanded a lot of attention in this one... I feel like he's trying to slowly drag me into writing a Kawahira/Fem!Harry story.

* * *

[~][~][~]

He found them quite by accident. No, it's better to say that he found _her_ quite by accident.

Skull de Mort, as he chose to be known, had been purposely sought out.

.

The Mafia was full of gossips, so when Kawahira had first heard the whispers of a civilian that'd appeared from nowhere to become the best stuntman in the world in less than a year, he hadn't given it much thought beyond the passing curiosity as to why the Mafia were paying such attention to something so seemingly mundane.

But the whispers, the rumors, didn't stop as he'd expected them to. Instead, within months, there were rumors of several families all courting Skull de Mort in hopes of drawing him into their families. They wanted his strength, his immortality, as they called it.

They wanted his Cloud flames.

Well, Kawahira couldn't _not_ investigate now, not with how rare Clouds were. Especially strong, unattached, adult Clouds. Kawahira was the last of his kind, the Guardian of the Tri-Ni-Set, the Administrator. It was his responsibility, and that responsibility included investigating potential candidates for the pacifiers.

So he went to one of Skull's shows.

And he found so much more than he'd been expecting. He found more than just a civilian with strong flames.

He found a Cloud strong enough to bear the pacifier for decades beyond the norm. He found a Cloud that was not as unattached as all the Mafia families had assumed.

And through Skull de Mort, Kawahira had inadvertently found a second candidate to hold the Sky Pacifier. Possibly, he mused as he measured the strength of Skull's flames and compared them to the memory of the latest of Sepira's line, a better candidate.

.

He'd hoped to approach Skull's Sky first; underhanded as it may be, getting the Sky to agree first would mean that getting Skull's agreement wouldn't be very difficult at all. Unfortunately, for all that he acted the loud-mouthed fool, the future Cloud Arcobaleno was (unsurprisingly) tight-lipped about his Sky, keeping what was his well-hidden and well-protected, going so far as to never even tell anyone that he was Harmonized at all.

Truly, Kawahira despaired, Skull was the pinnacle of a protective, territorial Cloud. And that made _finding_ Skull's Sky difficult; not impossible, of course, as few things were ever truly impossible, but given the time constraints Kawahira was working under, it was… improbable that he would find the mysterious Sky on his own.

So, with a sigh that was half annoyance and half glee – it was so rare that he had to do things like this, so rare that powerful Flame users could hide from him well enough that he had to resort to such tactics, and he'd lived so long that life constantly bordered on boring – Kawahira stalked Skull.

.

Kawahira was impressed. Skull had noticed his presence quicker than even the Hitman Reborn had; not that the Cloud made it obvious that he'd noticed someone was watching him for reasons other than his skills as a stuntman. Skull went about his daily life with no apparent differences, though Kawahira admitted to finding no small sense of amusement in watching the paranoia grow more and more every day. Who knew a human could be so subtly twitchy?

(It didn't help, Skull would later insist, that Kawahira kept playing small tricks on him. Not that the Cloud just took it; Kawahira had ended up with some close calls when Skull had decided to return fire.)

In true Cloud fashion, Skull avoided returning to his Sky for nearly two months after realizing that he was being followed, unwilling to take a potential threat near the thing he was so protective of. But eventually, near the beginning of April, Skull did pack up his things and hop on a plane to England.

There, Kawahira learned that not only had the magicals his people had once looked down on created barriers and wards powerful enough to block his senses, but that maybe he wasn't so alone in his long-lived nature after all.

.

Skull's Sky was pretty. Pretty and dangerous. Pretty and dangerous and much more than she had seemed at first glance.

He'd followed his choice for Cloud Arcobaleno to a restaurant in the middle of London where the violet-haired stuntman had strode confidently a table tucked into a private corner in the back that had some sort of illusion that made even him want to look away and forget it was there.

Already seated at the table, a young woman who looked barely older than Skull flipped through a menu, bright emerald eyes narrowed in thought. Black hair had been pulled back into a high pony-tail in an attempt to tame the wild curls that still hung to just below her shoulders and behind her side-swept bangs, a faded scar in the shape of a lightning bolt could just barely be seen. Upon seeing Skull from the corner of her eye, she popped up from her seat, emotion lighting up her face from the almost solemn cast it'd held before as Skull wrapped her in a hug that pulled her from her feet.

Kawahira's brows shot almost to his hairline as the woman's happiness caused Sky flames to burst from her skin to the area around her until the entire restaurant was filled with a feeling of warm contentment. As all the other diners relaxed in their seats from the effect of her flames, Kawahira was taken off-guard by the sheer strength of her Flames. Give her a few more years, a decade at most, and she would be strong enough to try and pull even him in!

So distracted by his thoughts, he missed as the reunited pair in front of him fell silent; feeling the weight of their eyes on him, he turned back to them with a startled blink.

Their eyes remained on him easily, but the happy smile on the woman's face now had far too many teeth to be friendly.

"Hello," she greeted, as if she and the Cloud at her side weren't seeing through illusions that had fooled even his own kind once upon a time. "Won't you sit down?"

It was only as he eased into the seat opposite Skull and his Sky, the threatening focus of her Flames almost forcing him to do so, that he noticed.

The table was already set for three.

.

It wasn't been easy, but Kawahira had wrangled an acceptance from the Sky to become a bearer of an Arcobaleno pacifier.

Only after he'd spilled the history of and reason behind the Tri-Ni-Set in its entirety, though; Holly, as the Sky introduced herself, was certainly a persuasive conversationalist, and very good at tricking his flames into believing his food and drink hadn't had a truth serum mixed into it.

She agreed to become an Arcobaleno on the condition that _he_ agreed to work with her on finding 'a solution other than cursing seven people to become batteries for the world.' She'd been quite annoyed over the thought of seven people suffering for the greater good of the world, and Skull had almost stabbed him in the hand with a fork when the words had left his mouth.

At first, he'd been hesitant to agree to try and find another solution; why should he make a deal with a human woman who likely wouldn't survive long enough to see the work through? And when he'd said as much to her, she'd raised her brow condescendingly and told him that she could bear the burden for a century if she chose to, but why put herself through that for a being that was too lazy to find a more permanent solution to a problem he'd been dealing with for years?

"Don't worry so much, Mr. Kawahira. You wouldn't want to start getting wrinkles now," Holly had said with a sharp smile. "Skull and I won't be dying anytime soon."

He'd considered her for a long moment, something itching at the back of his mind. Something was strange about the pair in front him. He tilted his head, a hint of his power veiling his eyes with a thin layer of indigo, and truly _looked_ at Holly and Skull.

Holly's soul was older than her outward appearance by a decade; the pain and trials she'd experienced through her life had nourished the growth of her soul until its power was staggering to see in a human barely into her third decade of life.

Flames and the power of her soul that fueled them swirled lazily within her frame, not even seeming bothered by the thick strand of amber power that stretched from her to wrap around Skull's, fueling his own power and bringing it into harmony with her own.

What she said was true; neither she nor Skull would be dying any time soon.

Holly's soul held the touch of immortality, and without even realizing it, she had harmonized so strongly with Skull that his soul now bore a weaker, but similar hint of immortality. Skull would not, could not die before his Sky, her soul had wrapped so tightly around his own.

When he mentioned this to them, Skull had been surprised, though Holly was largely unaffected.

"Of course," she'd said, smirk pulling at her lips as she met his eyes firmly. "Mothers should pass before their children."

.

Kawahira had not been expecting that.

He was afraid he'd lost all chance of being seen as someone to be feared by the pair of them; it was hard to be afraid of anyone you'd once seen choke on their own spit.

.

When May came, Holly and Skull traveled to the large, secluded house that Kawahira had provided as a safe house and base of operations for the duration of their time as Arcobaleno.

They were, fortunately, the first to arrive and so had plenty of time to settle in and get things ready for working with a bunch of complete strangers.

Holly was enjoying the idea more than she'd expected she would; a part of her had missed working with others to reach an objective, not to mention that she'd missed the sheer busy-ness that came with looking after more than just herself and Skull.

Skull just wanted it to be over with already.

.

The first meeting could have gone better.

Skull was already on edge just being around so many strangers with strength that rivaled his own, especially when said strong strangers were near Holly. When he noticed the laser focus of the "World's Greatest Hitman" on her, he got a little… Territorial and may have snarled. Just a little.

Reborn's eyes flicked to him before being drawn back to Holly as she moved around the table, depositing plates and cups.

"Are you sure you're old enough to be here?" he'd asked her, tone patronizing.

"I'm older than I look," she replied easily, no small hint of amusement filling her voice.

"Oh, fifteen then?"

Skull felt the slightest hint of hurt beneath the exasperation in his mother's flames – she had always been sensitive over her physical appearance, the reoccurring malnourishment she'd suffered as a child keeping her from ever being as tall as she could have, and always causing strangers to look down on her – and snarled at him, flames flaring just the slightest bit.

"Don't worry, Lackey, I'm not into little girls," Reborn said dryly.

Holly upended a pitcher of water over the Hitman's head.

.

Things didn't get better much from there. Not for a while.

Skull and Holly were constantly at odds with Reborn, the Hitman having little issue with undermining the pair by pointing out their lack of experience with Mafia missions, their lack of age, and their lack of professionalism by being in a relationship with one another.

For a woman who had led and won a war, being treated like a toddler by a man _younger than her_ was a whole new test of Holly's tolerance level for bullshit. (Spoiler: it was already quite low.)

For the most part, the others who'd been selected to be an Arcobaleno stayed out of the conflicts between them, or at least pretended to. They made it clear whose side they were on each time they followed Reborn's lead, even when Holly's plans or suggestions made more sense.

Not for the first time in her life, Holly cursed herself for her saving-people-thing.

.

It took an explosion for things to change.

Another day, another mission; at least, it should have been but things that been a little off from the start.

As they went over the plan before heading out, Holly couldn't be bothered to argue with Reborn as she usually did, instead only throwing out half-hearted suggestions. Her attention was largely on the building blueprints before her, something about the design so _familiar_ but she just couldn't remember from where.

When Reborn decided to separate Skull and Holly rather than let them pair up as they usually did, they all expected her to disagree as vehemently as Skull had. Instead, she only looked at Reborn, emerald eyes edged with amber, and said nothing. She would let it play out.

.

The mission went smoothly. Perhaps too smoothly given the bad feeling all of them had.

As they'd gathered on the lawn outside the mansion of the Family they'd just taken down, it was obvious that Holly had not yet returned. The itch of foreboding grew worse.

Just as Reborn opened his mouth to order them all back into the house to find the Sky, the mansion went up in a fiery explosion, the blast sending them flying several feet back.

Debris raining down around them, ears ringing from the sound, the others could only stare as Skull rolled immediately to his feet and darted closer to the burning ruins, yelling frantically.

"Mum!"

.

The world stopped.

"She's your _MOTHER!?"_ Viper demanded, the others too surprised to do more than gape.

"I did say I was older than I looked," a weary and amused voice said from behind them.

Robotically, they turned to find a soot-covered Holly standing behind them, the files they'd been tasked to retrieve in hand and smiling far too widely to be friendly.

Rather, she looked pissed, even as Skull bound over and checked her frantically over.

"The next time I say 'I've seen these plans somewhere before' you had better not ignore me, because if I get nearly blown to bits over some misplaced sense of honor that thinks I'm too young or too innocent or too stupid to know what I'm doing, I'll kill you myself."

They could only continue to stare in disbelief.

[~][~][~]

* * *

Seriously. Kawahira demanded so much attention and then didn't want me to write about the actual Arcobaleno. It was all me, me, me.

Unfortunately, my schedule did not open up as much as I'd hoped, so I feel like I'm still existing in a haze of 'wake up, work, sleep, repeat', sometimes remembering to fit 'eat' in there somewhere.

Doesn't feel like it's my best because, again, Kawahira was so needy, but I hope you enjoyed this all the same!

See you soon, dear ones~

-D.


	12. Just A Little Invasion of Privacy

**Just A Little Invasion of Privacy**

 **Summary** : Not everything adds up about their most annoying member. A little invasion of privacy never hurt (except for that time it did, damn those envelopes...), especially when it results in the hope for a better outcome than being stuck as a toddler till death.

 **Author's** **Notes** : Sort of a combination of the requests from **Gayle-Feyne** (learning about Skull's mother/family from a letter) and **fringeperson** (Calling in Uncle Bill the Curse-Breaker for some help breaking the curse). Note quite the big letter reveal as I'd originally intended; perhaps I'll give these another shot as separate prompts someday to better focus on each of them...

* * *

[~][~][~]

Truthfully, if you asked any of the Arcobaleno what they remembered of the days immediately following _That_ _Day_ , they would tell you they remembered very little. They would tell you that the days had passed in a blur of grief and rage as they came to terms with the _true_ cost of being one of The Strongest Seven, as they mourned the loss of their old lives, their old selves, and worked at accepting their new forms, their new circumstances.

And they would tell you that the only thing they really remembered with clarity was Skull. Or, perhaps, it's better to say that the only thing they remembered with clarity was the realization that not everything about their youngest member added up.

.

It started when they noticed that they _didn't_ notice Skull.

In the six months they'd been working together, five of those months living in the same house, they'd learned quickly that Skull did not fit the stereotype of quiet, aloof Cloud by any means whatsoever. The violet-haired teenager was loud and often wore his emotions on his sleeve, reacting to things around him with an openness that was rarely seen in members of the Underworld, and while he was quick to run and hide whenever Reborn threatened him, they were still able to keep track of him, whether by his loud shrieking or the Cloud flames that constantly leaked from his lanky form.

But, beyond the sounds of their own mourning process, the house was quiet. They heard not a sound from Skull, not a single howl of anger or sob of grief, not a hint of the shattering of furniture or the rattle of dishes as he cooked, not even the clatter of him tripping over his own feet or the frantic apology that often followed.

In a quick conversation that was made up largely of head tilts, furrowed brows, and shifting body weight, Fon and Reborn established that Skull had not been seen since their return to the house days ago, where he'd helped Fon stumble inside and then slipped away in the direction of his room.

Without a moment's hesitation, they turned and walked in the direction of his room, a small kind of frantic worry filling them.

Skull was not a normal Cloud, was actually the exact opposite of what was considered the norm for his element, and where stereotypical Clouds might focus their emotion outwards, Skull's would turn inwards. Rather than destroying things around him, Skull would likely destroy himself and _they couldn't let that happen._ Despite Skull's failings, all his little quirks that so often annoyed and frustrated them, Skull was one of them, was _theirs_ , and they would not let him go without a fight, even if the one trying to take him away was himself.

Outside his door, with only the violet cloud motif differentiating his door from the others in the hallway, they wavered when they knocked and received only more silence. It was an unspoken rule that you didn't enter another Arcobaleno's room; their rooms were their sanctuaries, the one place they could escape to and be left alone. Skull followed the rule, never entering another's room, and guarding his own zealously.

Did they dare break that rule now, when everything else was already so changed?

Reborn opened the door.

.

Truthfully, they'd already known that not everything added up when it came to Skull.

Once, when a mission included having to forge an invitation to an exclusive party in order to draw out the Boss of a Mafia family, there'd be a long pause when they'd realized that none of them – not even Reborn who could claim skill in many fields – could do the kind of elaborate letters that were required for the ruse to work. Fon had seemed the more likely choice to do the forging, even if his ability leaned more towards calligraphic kanji than the western letters.

Finally, with a derisive sound, Skull had pulled a fountain pen from the pocket of his stunt suit, sat down, and within minutes had addressed the envelope with the kind of lettering seen only on the most high-class of invitations, the kind that seemed impossible to have been written by hand and in such a short time.

Another time, near the beginning of their time sharing a house, Skull had entered through the front door carrying an umbrella stand that had seen Viper expressing more emotion that any had previously thought possible when the Esper had exclaimed "Is that a troll leg!?" in a strangled voice.

Skull had largely ignored the question, continuing to grumble and profess his hatred of the monstrosity in his arms as he carried it towards his room. When Fon had suggested that he burn the ugly piece of furniture since he disliked it so much, the Cloud had paused and, for the first time since they'd met, given Fon a look of such affronted disbelief that the Martial Artist had apologized before he'd even realized it.

(He'd then promptly turned away and hid his amused grin behind a fist; the younger man's reaction had reminded him of an offended cat with the way he'd practically puffed up and hissed.)

Not to mention the letters that Skull could be found reading each week, even though they'd never seen him go to the post office to pick up or drop off a single one. The one time they'd tried to open an envelope with his name on it (literally, just his name; no addresses or even postage, just 'Skull de Mort' on the front in a feminine hand), their fingers had been sore for days from the electrical zaps that'd gone through them.

But this… This was the clincher.

In interest of fairness, according to floor plans that had been burnt shortly after being memorized, the bedrooms they'd been given in the house were all roughly the same size. There were minor differences in placement of the closet, windows, and doors to the attached bathrooms, but the rooms were similar enough to one another that no one could claim favoritism by Luce, who they assumed had provided the home.

Skull's bedroom took the assumption of similarity and tossed it out the window.

Oh, the walls were the same delicate shade of white that had been in their given bedrooms when they'd first moved in, and the floor the same rich, dark wood, but where they'd had ceilings, Skull had… None. At least it seemed that he had no ceiling with the way they looked up and saw nothing but blue sky and puffy white clouds drifting lazily by.

So distracted by the sight, they didn't notice the papers littering the floor until they stepped on them.

Reaching down – and struggling through the surge of emotion that came with the reminder that they were so much closer to the floor, that they were the size of toddlers, that everything was different – Reborn and Fon picked up a few pages each of what looked like rough drafts of a letter.

Several were half-crumpled, some with large sections crossed out, a few had arrows leading to the margins with notes on what to leave in and what to not mention, and all of them were in a harried, scratchy print unlike the usual elegantly flowing script they'd come to associate with Skull's writing.

They weren't able to read all of it, only picking out certain phrases and words.

'… _Don't tell Mum, Uncle Bill…_

'… _luck clearly rubbed off… don't want her to worry…spot of trouble… need help breaking a curse… older than what you dealt with in Egypt…sending what I know…'_

'… _Please, don't tell Mum…'_

The two Arcobaleno glanced at each other. They knew things weren't all they seemed with Skull, but to learn that he'd been able to hide this much from them – his family and their apparent knowledge of curses – was impressive.

(Reborn, for his part, had once thought Skull was the son of a rich businessman who'd gotten bored of his civilian life and had decided to take up thrill seeking – through stunts and then the Mafia – as a hobby, a way to pass time. For a man who'd been born and raised in the streets, fighting for every cent and sometimes his very life, having killed his first man before he was thirteen, the very idea of it had annoyed him, angered him. How dare the purple-haired civilian make light of the world Reborn had struggled to make a life in?)

Now that they knew what the Cloud had been doing during the days he'd locked himself in his room, their fears of him self-destructing after being chained down by the Curse allayed by his own hand, they looked for the stuntman himself.

They found him easily, thankfully. Curled up in the middle of his single bed with a clumsily hand-knit blanket wrapped around him, Skull slept peacefully, no sign of the clearly manic energy that had had him writing draft after draft of a request for help.

And in his small hands, two pieces of parchment were clutched, one bearing the familiar feminine writing they'd seen his name written in so often, and the other in an unfamiliar, masculine hand.

They eased the papers from his hands and together, the two Arcobaleno bent their heads over the longer one.

' _Can't say your aunt appreciates the all-nighters I've pulled going through everything, but I've managed to make some sense of the mess you've stumbled into. Think I might be able to break it – or at least help you break it._

 _Two problems though: I'd need to gather all the pieces of the curse (the friends you mentioned as also being cursed) and a power source strong enough to break the binds._

 _Good thing we know your mum, eh? Sorry, mate, but if you want this curse broken, she has to be told.'_

Fierce hope swelled within them, but that didn't stop their curiosity at the other letter.

It was much shorter, but the lack of length did little to hide the worry and the love in the words.

' _Bill told me. We're on our way._

 _Love, Mum.'_

.

Once Skull had calmed down - waking up to find Reborn and Fon not only in his room but reading his mail had sent the Cloud into a fit of shouting that was ruined by his squeaky voice - they'd gathered in the living room to wait for his mother and uncle to arrive.

According to the grumpy and yet oddly excited Stuntman, it wouldn't take them long to get there at all; though it was still plenty of time for their thoughts to wonder.

.

That still didn't prepare them for Skull's family.

Admittedly, when they imagined what Skull's mother must be like, they'd imagined someone strict and old-fashioned; an old woman with gray hair, spectacles, and too-starched clothes. She'd speak properly, never swearing, and would insist on following the old traditions and manners. She'd have to be given the skills she'd taught her son.

Imagine their surprise when a woman who looked barely older than her early twenties, hair black as night, emerald eyes practically spitting fire, and wearing leather pants and combat boots practically kicked in their front door.

"Who the bloody hell decided cursing my son was a worthwhile idea!?" she snarled as she stormed in. A tall, fiery-haired man with an expression of resigned amusement on his heavily-scarred face followed sedately behind, closing the door carefully, as if expecting it to fall apart after having been opened so violently.

Well, they thought as Skull launched himself at the woman with unadulterated glee, at least they got one thing right: she was wearing glasses.

[~][~][~]

* * *

It's my birthday (March 4, I mean), so I thought I'd give you guys something. :) And while this chapter is a gift to you, I got a (rather well timed) gift of my own the other night. 'How We Met Your Mother' has its first piece of fanart! :D I'm still slightly bewildered by this, too; it's a bit unbelievable, even as it makes me all giddy and warm inside.

If you're interested, the link is: **sta . sh / 01x8y2ynfvzn**. Remember to remove the spaces~

Also, I've recently created a tumblr page, if you're interested in it. Honestly, for as long as it's been around, I'm still new to tumblr, but you're more than welcome to contact me on there or even just check in once a while. It'll likely just be a bunch of random hooplah, but all the same. If you're interested in this, the link is **deliriumdescending . tumblr . com**.

See you again soon, my dears!

-D.


	13. Eggs and Fortunes

**Eggs and Fortunes**

 **Summary:** Byakuran comes bearing gifts that leave a special sort of Chaos in their wake.

 **Author's Notes:** An Easter-inspired chapter, and with Fon!

* * *

[~][~][~]

Anyone with any form of previous interaction with Byakuran could tell you that he was the worst sort of trouble maker: the clever, unpredictable kind.

You could never tell if he was going to do something insanely clever that inspired goodwill in all nearby, or if he was going to do something insanely clever that made all nearby give some serious thought to homicide.

Either way, Byakuran reveled in Chaos, in throwing the metaphorical fox among the hens and sitting back to watch the resulting pandemonium with a smug smile that had more than one person wanting to put their considerable skills in all things nefarious to good use.

Given this understanding of Byakuran, it was no surprise that _**everyone**_ was wary when the former Mare ring holder showed up to the Easter dinner with a basket of chocolate eggs and began to hand them out while wearing his signature vulpine smile.

Tsuna, the one everyone agreed most likely to survive whatever disaster happened, was voted to open his first.

With a whimper of dread, Tsuna cracked the egg.

With a muffled _**thwump**_ not unlike the Ten-Year-Bazooka firing, a surprisingly small – well, small compared to the usual amounts of smoke they were used to seeing – plume of purple smoke blocked Tsuna from view.

A collective "Tsuna!" went up from around the table and was answered by the sound of coughing; the smoke cleared, dissolving at the frantic waving of Tsuna's hands. A ripple of relief went along the table at the sight of the physically okay Sky.

On the table, surrounded by pieces of broken chocolate shell, was a container of the same antacids that Tsuna kept in his desk, the ones that he tended to pop like candy when going through the piles and piles of paperwork.

"E-eh?" Tsuna stuttered.

"It's what you wanted most, Tsunayoshi-kun," Byakuran smiled.

"This, this is really clever, Byakuran," the Vongola boss praised.

With their suspicions allayed, the rest of the Vongola gathering began cracking open their own eggs, multiple explosions of smoke going up until the dining room was rather hazy. Exclamations of joy and laughter sounded throughout the room, everyone so caught up in their gifts and in seeing what each other got that no one really noticed the two Arcobaleno not participating.

Seated opposite one another, Skull and Fon only studied their eggs in silence.

Neither was sure that the egg could give them what they wanted most right then.

.

Skull missed home.

Though that was nothing really new for him; the longing for home, for the one who made it home, was constant, an itch in the back of his mind. Sometimes, if he kept busy, it faded and he was able to ignore it for a time.

But other times, it would hit him. In the quiet moments: sitting on the roof of the Arcobaleno house, or in a tree, watching the sky. And in the hectic moments: the middle of a fight with adrenaline, magic, and flames rushing through him, fighting at the side of people who had started out as strangers but became friends, became comrades.

It would hit him and all he could think was that he missed her.

Perhaps it was childish; perhaps others would judge him harshly for it, but in this moment…

Skull just wanted his mother.

.

Fon had met her completely by accident.

He'd been looking for something quick and cheap to eat, hungry after just having finished a job. The restaurant he'd chosen had been average, one of those hole-in-the-wall kind of restaurants, not overly popular where it would be difficult to get something to eat, but it had dedicated customers that just barely kept it afloat.

He'd stepped inside and took a seat at the only other table in the place that had a clear view of the entire layout; he'd taken note of her, of course he had. She was a Westerner in a tiny, out of the way restaurant in the poorer side of the metropolis; she stood out, not only for the fact that she was so obviously foreign, but that she was attractive.

(And despite what other Arcobaleno – _Reborn_ — said, Fon was quite capable of noticing attractive women, and enjoyed doing so. He just had more self-restraint than the Hitman and saw no need in flirting with every attractive woman that crossed his path.)

So, he'd settled at his table, ordered his food, and had set about peacefully eating.

Of course, a group of Triad members would also walk in, looking for a meal. A group of Triad members that recognized him and wanted to make a name for themselves for taking him down.

The idiots never learned.

It was simple from there: they started a fight and he finished it.

He just hadn't meant to throw an attacker at the woman sitting on the other side of the restaurant, calmly slurping at her noodles and pretending the fight wasn't happening. The triad member had landed on the table top and rolled across it, knocking off the teapot and cup. Curiously, the woman had managed to save her bowl of noodles and, in fact, was finishing off the last of them as the Triad member began to shake off his daze.

Fon started forward, moving to finish him off; but, by the time he got to the table, the woman had, nonchalantly as you please, slammed the heavy bowl down on the Triad member's face and, at the very least, broke his nose.

Fon blinked.

The woman stood, tossed more than the required amount of money on the table, and casually walked out of the restaurant, nodding politely to him as she walked by.

Of course, that was when he felt the Sky flames tightly coiled around her body. He'd turned and followed after her, intrigued beyond belief, before he could stop himself.

A small smile tugged at his lips as it occurred to him that he hadn't really stopped following after her since.

Holly, as she'd introduced herself, was a Sky, a powerful one, with only one Guardian. Fon wondered when she'd realize that he was doing his best to make it two.

All the same, at the moment, surrounded by the chaos of the Vongola dinner, Fon really just wanted to see his (possibly, maybe) Sky.

.

Skull and Fon broke their eggs at the same moment.

.

On the heels of the familiar _**thwump**_ sound, as a veritable mushroom cloud of smoke filled the room, there was the thud of a body slamming into a solid surface, and a feminine yelp just heard over the rattle of dishes.

The smoke cleared. There was a collective blink of confusion.

On the table, curled up on one side, was a woman. She wore a pair of grass stained jeans and a deep red t-shirt; her bare feet had upended a bowl of mashed potatoes and her dark hair, which had been pulled into a messy pony tail, was slowly soaking up the glasses of wine that had spilled on her landing. In her hands, pulled close to her chest, was a bright orange egg.

An emerald eye opened, glancing around, before focusing on Fon.

Then, as if she hadn't just appeared from nowhere and fallen at least three feet to slam into a solid wood table, she asked in a conversational tone: "Why is it whenever we meet, someone ends up on a table?"

The air stilled, disbelief filling the room.

Had she just-? Did she mean -?

"Mum!" a familiar voice choked, horrified and scandalized in equal measures.

There was a moment of incomprehension as the woman – Skull's mother!? – turned to look at the purple haired stuntman, tilting her head in question. Then, the metaphorical light bulb flickered on and the woman's face quickly turned the same shade of her shirt.

"Skull, no! Not like that! That's not how I meant it!" she insisted, hands waving about in denial, one still clutching the bright orange egg. "Fon, help me out!" she half-pleaded, half-ordered.

Fon covered his mouth with one sleeved hand, hiding the wicked smirk. "But Holly, you have thrown me down onto a table before," he replied innocently.

The woman, Holly, spluttered, giving him a look of betrayal. She turned back to Skull, maintaining her assurances that "despite what that two-faced, braided liar said, it really wasn't what it sounded like."

At the head of the table, as everyone got over their shock and began launching questions at the woman, Tsuna took one look at Byakuran's smugly smiling face, and promptly opened his bottle of antacids and downed three.

It was going to be a long day.

.

Much later, after her impromptu introduction to the highest levels of the Mafia, Holly sat at the window of the first empty sitting room she'd found, looking at the stars.

Fon sat, half wrapped around her with his chin propped on her shoulder. Skull was sprawled out on the rest of the window seat, head in his mother's lap. They sat in content silence, just happy to be in each other's company after the initial awkwardness and slight hostility upon realizing the positions of the other in Holly's life.

After a time, Skull opened eyes he hadn't known he'd shut.

"What fortune did you get on your egg, Mum?" he asked softly, unwilling to disturb the peace that had settled around them.

Holly huffed, the sound half amusement and half annoyance, and summoned the bright orange – the color of Sky flames – egg from where she'd left it on the table, handing it to her son.

Skull tilted the egg in the moonlight.

When he found the fortune, he couldn't help but snort in laughter.

In his Aunt Luna's familiar whimsical handwriting, the words ' _Good journey, safe fall_ ' scrawled across the shell.

* * *

[~][~][~]

Hoping all had an enjoyable and safe holiday!

I'm still alive and still working on chapters/stories. Hope to have another new one for you soon~

Oh! Thank you so much to everyone for the birthday wishes after last chapter. You're all so wonderful and nice and just lakjsdfas. Yep.

-D.


	14. The Painted Lady (Inspired by OpalIstas)

**The Painted Lady**

 **Summary:** In which there is more to Skull's odd hobby than any had previously considered.

 **Author's Notes:** Inspired by "Painted Lady" by OpalIstas .

* * *

[~][~][~]

It hadn't taken the Arcobaleno long to realize that Skull had an odd hobby, one that was beyond the usual quirks that they could ignore; but only because it seemed so out of character.

Skull was a brat; he gave off the feeling of a rebellious, punk-rock teenager with his brightly colored hair, multiple piercings, and penchant for leather. He was the type to read comics and attend wild parties, not collect pricey paintings from upscale auctions.

But that's what he did. The violet-haired cloud was surprisingly knowledgeable of art, able to tell the difference between the genuine thing and a fake within a moment's study, and if there was an art auction nearby, it was guaranteed that Skull would, at some point, be at it. Not that the other Arcobaleno ever understood why; Skull rarely bought anything from the auctions he so obsessively attended. He only ever seemed to be a bystander, intently staring at the pieces that were up for sale, but, to their knowledge, never making a bid on one.

Except they saw the speculative looks other attendees shot him, saw the way dealers and bidders alike would approach him, sharing information with the strangely subdued stuntman. And when Reborn had asked around, a woman had gladly shared the tidbit that the mysterious De Mort was selective, but once he found a painting he wanted, no cost was too high. Once, when he was asked why he would pay so much for a painting, no matter how rare, the stuntman had answered simply that it was worth it, that the paintings were worth everything.

(Reborn would swear that Viper had swayed just a little at hearing the price the Lackey had once paid for a painting.)

And when asked what paintings 'De Mort' favored, the informative attendee had looked almost sad as she answered. "Portraits. Rare portraits. No one knows who painted them, but there are rumors there are less than ten in the world."

.

It was Xanxus who finally brought an end to Skull's odd hobby.

Not that he was aware that Skull even had such a hobby. It was all just coincidence it worked out the way it did.

.

As a young child, fresh from the streets, the Vongola mansion was little more than luxurious prison. Xanxus was used to living on the streets; he was used to the freedom to roam and do his own thing without an adult hovering over him constantly, to just up and going without worry of lessons he had to attend or people he had to meet with, or anything like that. So, when the tutors, Nono, or Nono's Guardians got too annoying, he'd taken to exploring the mansion, disappearing for hours into long uninhabited rooms and sections of the house.

No area of the mansion was out of bounds to him in his hunt for a few hours reprieve from the nagging and the heavy weight of disapproval and distrust. He'd hidden in a linen closet before, cramped and at constant risk of discovery as it was; but, by far, his favorite rooms were the storage rooms. Rooms filled to the brim with furniture, useless bits of décor, and paintings.

It was, admittedly, a pleasant way to the pass the time; going through the bits and pieces that had once made up a home only to later be relegated to an empty, unused room was calming, often soothing his agitation.

And then, he found it. Found her.

.

It had been a particularly rough day. He'd caught hell from no less than three of his tutors, who'd complained to Nono, who'd then given him a passive-aggressive disappointed-father speech while Coyote stood disapprovingly in the background. The first chance Xanxus got, he stormed off, disappearing into a rarely used section of the mansion and losing himself in picking through a room full of paintings.

Eventually, he'd grown bored of looking at boring landscape after boring landscape and sat down in the floor, leaning back against a wall. His leaned his head back and stared blankly across the room; he wondered if enough time had passed that he could make it back to his room and hide out there for a while when _something_ made him go still. Instincts honed on the streets told him that something in the room was different, that something – someone – was in the room with him, that he wasn't alone any longer. He was frozen, ears straining to pick up any hint of noise that might give the intruder away, eyes darting from one side of the room to the other; his hand twitched with the urge to pull out a knife that wasn't there.

And that was when the tower of precariously piled paintings on the table in front of him overbalanced and spilled into the floor. Spitting out several vulgar curse words, he reached out and kicked the closest painting away from him, revealing the one behind it.

It was a girl; not one he'd ever seen anywhere in the mansion or even heard of in his lessons before. Intrigued, he scooted closer and turned the portrait upright. He had to give the artist credit, they'd done an amazing job with this one. The girl was pretty, like a princess from a fairy tale, with her dark hair and pale skin. But it was more than that; there was a life to this portrait that others he'd seen didn't have, a depth of emotion in the bright green eyes that took her from classic beauty to something more.

Dressed in a uniform that bore hints of military details, with it's dark color and silver hardware, and wearing an expression of wary determination against an empty background, she made a somber and gripping sight.

Half an hour later, when he deemed it safe enough to leave, he carried the portrait under his arm as he returned to his room.

.

That night, as he glanced at the portrait in its new place of honor above his fireplace as he prepared for bed, he paused.

He would swear the girl in the portrait had been smiling.

.

Beyond his clothes and toiletries, the portrait was the only thing Xanxus took with him when he left the Vongola Mansion to take over the Varia.

.

Despite his best efforts, Xanxus had never been able to find any information on the girl in the portrait. He'd gone through every book he could get his hands on, researched militaries and their uniforms with a fervor that had surprised his tutors, did everything he could think of to try and find a scrap of information on her.

At the very least, he wanted her name.

.

His newly recruited Mist took one look at the portrait that hung in his office and half-demanded to know where Xanxus had gotten it.

Xanxus' eyes sharpened, narrowing at the Esper-brat. The Mist knew something; everyone else who'd walked into his personal wrote it off as inconsequential, just a painting of a pretty girl. Yet Mammon had _recognized_ it, recognized her.

"Why?" he demanded in return, a smirk pulling at the corner of his lips when he noticed the aborted almost-twitch of the Esper.

"Muu… It's a rare painting. It could easily fetch a fortune," Mammon finally replied, and Xanxus really did smirk. The baby was good, as to be expected of a Varia officer; but there'd been no hiding the genuine emotion that'd been in their voice when they're first seen the painting.

"I found it. Why is it rare?"

There was a long stretch of silence as the pair of them studied each other.

"The woman in the painting. She was infamous for refusing publicity of any kind, so to have an actual portrait of her is… singular. There've been rumors of other portraits, but it's difficult to know for sure as they are quickly snapped up by an anonymous buyer."

It was the most information Xanxus had gotten on her in the literal years he'd been searching. He leaned forward, glaring intently at the Mist.

"Her name?"

"Holly."

.

Xanxus knew something was off with the portrait, with Holly. He could never pinpoint what it was, could never find proof, but he would wake sometimes in the middle of the night to the sound of a woman humming though he would find no one when his eyes automatically snapped open. There were times when he was in a particularly emotional state and his Wrath would be flooding the area around him when he would feel the faintest hint of something brush comfortingly against his Flames; or, from the corner of his eye as he worked on getting the Varia back into shape, he would catch a hint of movement.

There was something more to the portrait he had found, and he was determined to find out what it was. As soon as he'd handled the bullshit with Nono.

.

It was sheer dumb luck, really.

Several years later, after Xanxus had been sealed away, after he'd thawed out, after the Future-That-Never-Was, after breaking the Arcobaleno curse, Tsuna had visited the Varia mansion.

The relationship between the Varia head and the soon-to-be Decimo was still rocky at the best of times, but it was steadily improving as the trash continued to prove just how unlike his idiot father he was.

Tsuna had walked into Xanxus' room and, for the second time ever, had paused at the portrait above his fireplace.

"Huh. You know, Skull has one of the same woman. Several, actually."

The glass of whiskey in Xanxus' hand had cracked.

.

Within days, Skull appeared at the Varia mansion. The Stuntman wasn't looking much like himself, his purple hair looking dull and faded, and wearing jeans and a baggy hand-knit sweater. He carried packages the same size as the portrait above Xanxus' fireplace under each arm, with Tsuna and Reborn following behind him with another two each.

Skull came to a stop in front of Xanxus, and though there was a wealth of emotion in the violet eyes, he met Xanxus' eyes steadily and without fear. A corner of the Wrath user's mouth ticked up in something half-amusement and half-approval; without another word, he turned and led the way to his personal rooms.

To Holly.

.

Skull took one look at the portrait and inhaled sharply, a fierce hope and desperate longing appearing on his face. He set his own portraits down carefully before stepping closer to the portrait Xanxus had found over a decade ago.

Reverently, Skull reached out – and, suddenly, all Xanxus could focus on was the sight of the Stuntman's bare hands stretching towards the painting that Xanxus himself had treasured for years – and just as Xanxus was about to give in to the impulse to slap the Cloud's hand away, those pale, strangely elegant fingers touched the frame.

.

An invisible wave of energy – like Flames, but not – exploded from the portrait at Skull's touch, leaving those present in the room not quite physically reeling but feeling like they should be.

A delicate yawn caught their attention, their eyes snapping in the direction of the sound.

In her frame, Holly came alive; she stretched her arms above her head, leaning from side to side as if she were stretching. Emerald eyes blinked as though shaking off the remnants of sleep, and looked languidly at those in the room.

Suddenly, those emerald eyes sharpened on the violet-haired teen that stood closest to her.

Vibrant green held with vivid purple; then, a slow smile appeared on the portrait's face.

"Wotcher, my little wolf," she said, voice gentle and warm and overflowing with affection.

Skull let out a sound that was half-laugh and half-sob. "Wotcher, Mum."

.

Skull de Mort, the Immortal Stuntman, was Teddy Potter, the only son of Holly Potter, The-Woman-Who-Conquered.

The son who had willingly allowed himself to be dragged further and further into the Underworld, who had willingly become an Arcobaleno, all in the hope of gathering the series of portraits that had imprisoned his mother's soul after she had given herself up to protect her family. To protect him.

The son of the woman who had smiled at Tsuna, at Reborn, at Xanxus, and thanked them for looking after her Teddy-bear, for playing a part in helping to reunite the pair who meant so much to each other.

(If Holly, as she'd introduced herself, wasn't Skull's Sky, Tsuna would eat his X-gloves.)

(And if Tsuna had thought his Elements protective of their Sky, he didn't want to be around when Skull realized that Xanxus had the beginnings of a crush on the woman that was both _Sky_ and _Mother_.)

[~][~][~]

* * *

This chapter feels largely incomplete to me. I kept getting ideas on how to expand it into a multi-chapter fic while I was writing it, so I feel as if I've rushed and ignored HUGE sections of story even though it's meant to be a stand-alone/one-shot.

Also, hi. Hello. Not dead.

-D.


End file.
